Crimson Beauty and the Winds of Death
by destiny's-dawn666
Summary: Maybe she could be the one to break this spell; otherwise, there was no way out for him. A retelling of Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' with a Bleach twist! Shuuhei/KazeshinixOC
1. Chapter 1

Hello, my wonderful readers. Taking a short break from **'Little Firefly'** to give you another project I have been working on. I had actually been thinking about doing this for a while now-since I have loved 'Beauty and the Beast' since I was really little and Bleach is probably one of my favorite anime- but never really got a chance to work on it, but now that I've had a little bit of time, I decided to give it a whirl. I'm actually very proud with how this turned out and I hope you will like it, too.

**Disclaimer: Other than Kurenai, my OC, I own NOTHING! 'Beauty and the Beast' belongs to Disney and Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo! **

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><p><em>Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart could desire, he was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. In addition, there was a darker, far crueler side to the young prince's personality. His subjects suggested that it was a demon, for the prince would violently, uncontrollably, and unmercifully murder anyone for the slightest transgression.<em>

_ But then, one cold winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle, offering a single black rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. She warned him, however, not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. When he dismissed her again, this time threatening to kill her should she ask again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. _

_ The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart, and the demon that resided in him would soon be his undoing. As punishment, she transformed him, bringing out the demon that resided within him, and gave it power that was completely out of his control, and then she placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there. Ashamed of this monstrous form, the prince used the last shred of his will to seal himself within the very confines of his castle, to further prevent anyone from ever being harmed. A magic mirror was his only window to the outside world. The rose the old woman had offered was truly enchanted rose which would bloom until the prince's twenty-first year. If he could learn to love another and earn her love in return, and conquer this demon within by the time the last petal fell, the spell would be broken; if not, he would be doomed to remain in his demonic form for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope, for who could learn to love a demonic beast?_

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><p>Kurenai Abarai sighed as she stepped out of her tiny home. The sun shone on her face and seemed to turn her long, bright crimson locks almost gold. She twirled the wicker basket in her hand as she walked along to the tiny village. It wasn't much, when one got down to it, but both she and her brother had called this village 'home' for the past three years. It was a stereotypical little village; there was a baker, and a blacksmith, and a local tavern… nothing special, except for the bookshop. That little store was Kurenai's favorite place, next to her own home; she could sit there for hours and let her mind devour book after book.<p>

She had left her home just as the sun was rising, so the village was getting ready to wake up. Kurenai shook her head; this was just like the day before. The citizens of the village seemed to have a routine all set up. They rose at the same time and did the same routine everyday.

_Little town, it's a quiet village,_ she sang. If there was one thing that was truly girly about the tomboyish and imaginative Kurenai, it was her soft, soprano voice.

_Everyday like the one before._

_ Little town, full of little people,_

_ Waking up to say…_

Suddenly, like Kurenai expected, there were quite a few people who looked out their windows to bid her good morning.

_There goes the baker_

_ With his tray, like always_

_ The same old bread _

_ And rolls to sell…_

_ Every morning just the same_

_ Since the morning that we came_

_ To this poor, provincial town…_

"Good morning, Kurenai." the baker said as she passed.

"Good morning, sir." Kurenai addressed.

"And where are you off to this morning?"

"The bookshop." Kurenai answered. "I just read this wonderful story about a beanstalk and an ogre, and…"

"That's nice, dear." the baker interrupted, immediately uninterested. Kurenai shrugged off his ignorance and moved along as he called into his shop for more bread.

"Look, there she goes," a woman said to her friend.

"That girl is strange, no question." the other agreed.

"So dazed and distracted, can't you tell?" a third interjected.

"Never part of any crowd." another woman murmured as Kurenai passed her.

"'Cause her head's up on some cloud." said a barber who probably should've been paying more attention to his work.

"No denying she's a funny girl, that Kurenai." a small gaggle of older women said.

Kurenai smiled as she finally reached her destination after ignoring all of the idle chatter. People asked about family and wives, the former causing a shopkeeper some trouble. A woman holding six small children was clamoring for eggs, and a man was telling a shopkeeper that something was too expensive.

The small shop, with its smell of paper, was an absolute thrill to Kurenai. Izuru Kira, the young man who owned the shop, was so kind to her and always had a smile on his face when she came to his shop.

"Ah, Kurenai," he greeted warmly.

"Good morning." she greeted with the same warmth. "I came to return the book I finished."

"Finished?" he asked as he handed it to her. "Already?"

"Oh, I couldn't put it down." Kurenai said, climbing the ladder to scan the shelves. "Have you gotten anything new?"

"Not since yesterday." he answered with a mild laugh.

"That's alright. I'll borrow… this one." she replied, pulling a dark-blue-bound book from its place on the shelf.

"_That _one? But you've read it twice." he said.

"Well it's my favorite," Kurenai answered, pulling the ladder down the row of books until she stopped it. "Far off places, daring swordfights, magic spells," she listed as she got off of the ladder and danced around whimsically, "and a prince in disguise!" Izuru smiled and shook his head.

"If you like it all that much, then it's yours." he insisted. Now it was Kurenai's turn to be startled.

"But… Kira-san…" she protested.

"I insist." he said, leading her to the door.

"Oh, well thank you. Thank you very much." she said jovially. With a final nod toward the shopkeeper, she opened her book and began to read as she walked away. She failed to notice the men that had been watching her since she had entered the shop and were now watching her walk away.

"Look there she goes," one of the men said, resting his chin on his closed fist.

"That girl is so peculiar." another said as he watched her dreamily.

"I wonder if she's feeling well." the third chirped.

Kurenai didn't seem to mind the stares she was getting as she walked with her book held up to her face. A woman who was dumping a pail of water down into the gutter beneath the window noticed her. "With a dreamy, far-off look," she murmured as she watched the young woman pass below. Two men watched as Kurenai pushed up a sign over head that kept water flowing from the gutter from splashing her and her 'new' book, all without looking away from her current page. They shook their heads.

"And her nose stuck in a book." one of them commented.

"What a puzzle to the rest of us is Kurenai…" a group of people murmured amongst themselves.

"Oh, isn't this amazing," Kurenai murmured to herself as she sat down at a nearby fountain. Curious sheep had come up to see what the strange human girl was holding. She looked at a ewe and held the page over for her to see. "It's my favorite part, because… well, take a look. See, this is where she meets Prince Charming," At that moment, the sheep bit off a corner of her book, which she forgave. "But see, she won't discover that it's him until about Chapter Three." She went back to her book as she took off, with the shepherd appearing to shoo the sheep away from the fountain.

"Now it's no wonder that her name means 'crimson'." a lady trying on hats in a shop stated. "Her red hair has no parallel." she said to the shop-keeper.

"Yet behind that fair façade," the shopkeeper, a notorious gossip, stated, "I'm afraid she's rather odd, very different from the rest of us…"

"She's nothing like the rest of us." a man said.

"So different from the rest of us is Kurenai." a bunch of men whispered as the mentioned girl passed, walking over a wagon and giving a poor man a rather nice concussion. Over head, a flock of geese passed, until their formation was ruined by a large spiked ball on a chain that hit the leader. Underway, a small boy with brown hair- the bangs of which were tied into an awkward ponytail at the front of his head- attempted to catch the newly killed creature, only to miss by quite a few feet. Hoping no one had seen, he picked up the animal and stuffed it into a burlap sack and then rushed over to where an overweight man waited in the shade. He had just finished reeling in the giant spiked ball when his little sidekick rushed in.

"You were terrific, Omaeda-san." the young boy named Rin said. "You're the best fighter in the entire village."

"I know." Omaeda said, attempting- and failing- to be cool about it. His voice sounded a little too enthusiastic, as well as a little too smug.

"No beast stands a chance against you, or any girl for that matter." Rin said.

"That's true enough, Rin, but I've got my sights set on _that _one." he said, pointing to Kurenai, who was walking away.

"The mechanic's _sister_?" Rin asked incredulously.

"Yeah, she's totally the lucky girl whose gonna be my blushing bride."

"But she-!" Rin interjected.

"She's the most beautiful girl in town."

"Yeah, but she-!" Rin tried again.

"That makes her more than good enough for me, the best, even." His gaze shifted dangerously on Rin. "Don't I deserve the best?"

"Well, of course, but-!" Poor Rin never got to finish his sentence.

"From the moment I met her- saw her- I said she's gorgeous and I fell. In this town, she's the only one good enough for me, so I'm gonna woo and marry Kurenai."

Now, it was a well known fact that Marechiyo Omaeda had been after Kurenai Abarai for years. Many people thought that she was insane for not accepting to be with him. He may not have been the smartest or most handsome pick of the litter, but he was _rich_- correction, his _family_ was rich. The Abarais got by with what they had, but how could Kurenai say no to something that could help her and her brother so much? Many of the young women of the village would have been happy to marry for the Omaeda family's vast wealth. So when Marechiyo Omaeda marched past them, they all pretended to be interested. Some even glared at Kurenai for being so 'selfish,' not that she noticed.

As Kurenai headed back the way she came, the market began to open up, and people were hustling and bustling. Kurenai continued without a care in the world. Omaeda struggled because of his massive size to get through the crowd, and started yelling like an angry bull for people to move. Kurenai didn't seem to notice.

_There must be more _

_ Than this provincial life…_ she sang to herself.

"Just watch, Kurenai," Omaeda said aloud. "I'm gonna make you my wife."

The people all seemed to look at her as she passed.

"Look there she goes, a girl who's strange but special," a woman said to her husband.

"Indeed, a must peculiar little _onna_." he said with a nod of agreement.

"It's a pity and a sin." a man said.

"She doesn't quite fit in." a woman next to him said.

"She really is a funny girl." another woman said.

"A beauty, but a funny girl." a man replied. Omaeda had had enough of the crowd at this point and decided to take a shortcut, fumbling over the roof of a house.

"She's just a funny girl, that Kurenai." a man said.

Kurenai, having thought she had heard her name, turned to find the villagers going about their usual business. With a nonchalant shrug, she went on her way back to her house. She ignored Omaeda as he appeared in front of her and kept walking.

"Good morning, Kurenai." he said, thinking she hadn't seen him.

"_Konnichiwa_, Omaeda-san." she sighed. It _was_ about that time of day, when Marechiyo Omaeda would come along just to annoy her with countless reasons as to why she should accept his proposal. Most of the time, the reasons consisted of him…, _him_, _more_ about him, and his wealth. Never mind _her_ happiness, or the fact that she didn't want a domestic life just yet. No it was just about what _he _wanted; it was always about what _other people _wanted. She was snapped out of her thought process when Omaeda pulled the book from her hands. "Omaeda, may I have my book back, please?" she asked, resisting the urge to punch him in the face. At this point, Omaeda was holding the book by its front cover and letting the pages fall.

"How can you _read_ this? There's no pictures!"

"_Some _people- you know those people you fear, who are actually capable of rational thought- use their imaginations." she replied, crossing her arms. Omaeda looked at her.

"Kurenai, it's about time you got your head out of these books and paid attention to more important things," he said, tossing the book into a nearby mud puddle. Kurenai made a move to try and retrieve it, but Omaeda stood in her way, smiling at her. "Like me…" Kurenai shook her head, pushed him to the side and picked the book up from the mud. "The whole town's talking about it. It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas and… thinking." he said, visibly wincing.

Kurenai scoffed and used a corner of her apron to wipe the cover of her book off. "Omaeda, you are positively primeval." she said. 'Let him figure that one out.' she thought with a wide smile to herself.

"Why thank you, Kurenai." he replied proudly, clapping her on the shoulder.

"In one ear and out the other…" she murmured with a roll of her eyes.

"Why don't we go back to my place? I can show you all of my hunting trophies and my family's jewelry—."

"Maybe some other time." she answered, not that he was listening, much to her annoyance.

"What's wrong with her?" one of the other young women of the village said.

"She's _crazy_!" another one exclaimed.

"He's so rich, how can she say no?" a third one asked incredulously.

"Please, Omaeda-san," Kurenai said in one last attempt to shake him, "I really have to get back to my brother. Goodbye." she said with as much politeness as she could muster.

"That crazy idiot needs all the help he can get." Rin commented, causing both him and Omaeda to laugh.

"Don't talk about my brother that way!" Kurenai chastised angrily.

"Yeah, don't talk about her brother that way!" Omaeda chastised, hitting Rin on the head.

"My brother's not crazy! He's a genius!" she exclaimed. Of course, no sooner did she say that, a loud explosion resounded from her house. This caused Omaeda and Rin to break into a fit of laughter. Kurenai ran to her house; she would decide how to deal with Omaeda and Rin later. Right now she had to check on Renji. As she approached the yard, Kenpachi, her big black dog bounded up to the house. He must've been sleeping in the shade of his favorite tree again and heard the explosion. His good ear- the one that didn't have half of it missing, was laying back flat with concern. She looked up and saw thick, gray smoke leaking from the cellar doors. "Stay here, Kenpachi." she said as she yanked open the cellar doors. She heard coughing through the smoke and cautiously treaded down the stairs.

"Renji?" she asked, coughing out the smoke. It was starting to burn her eyes, and she blinked through it more than once.

"How in the _hell _did that happen?" he asked. "Piece of crap…" A few moments later, he was holding his foot in pain, having attempted to kick the device he was currently trying to work on. It was one of his own inventions. It could collect any type of light and turn it into a beam of concentrated light, creating a powerful laser. Unfortunately for Renji, it was a very tricky piece of equipment. The laser was rather testy, and half of the time it didn't even work at all.

"Are you alright, Renji?" Kurenai asked concernedly.

"I'm about ready to send this hunk of metal to the scrap heap!" he said, glaring at it.

"You always say that." Kurenai said with a laugh and a shake of her head.

"I _mean_ it this time, Kurenai! I will never get that bone-headed laser to work."

"Yes you will, and you'll win first prize at that fair tomorrow."

"Uh-huh. You're just saying that." he scoffed.

"No I'm not." she insisted. "You'll win first prize at the fair and finally people will take you seriously as an inventor."

"So you really think so?"

"Haven't I always, moron?"

Renji smiled, having his confidence returned. "Well then, what're we waiting for? At this rate, I'll have this hunk of metal fixed in no time! Hand me that dog-legged clincher, would ya?" At the word 'dog' Kenpachi came down and sat near the hearth. He knew that as soon as Kurenai gave her brother the tool, she'd sit by the fireplace and he could nap in his favorite place: directly at her feet. Kenpachi had only been with the Abarai siblings for a few months, but had already become fiercely loyal to the younger sibling. At first Renji wouldn't let him in the house, but Kurenai couldn't resist feeding the poor, injured and starving dog her scraps of food. When winter came along, she pleaded with her brother to let the dog stay. Eventually even the older brother couldn't deny that the household was happier with the dog around. It also meant that he didn't have to worry about Kurenai being protected; Kenpachi did that just fine, despite his missing eye. Kurenai insisted that she liked the fact that the dog wasn't perfect, that his wounds gave him character.

"So," Renji began as Kurenai handed him the desired tool, "how did things go in town today?"

Kurenai bit her lip. "I got a new book." she said, trying to be optimistic. She paused before asking her next question. "Renji, do you think I'm odd?"

There was a long pause before Renji looked up from the laser-device, arching a tattooed brow. "Where'd you get an idea like that?" he asked.

"I guess…" she began, and then sighed, sitting on the hearth. "I guess it's because I'm really not sure if I fit in here. There's really no one I can talk to." Feeling pity for his mistress, Kenpachi laid his head at her feet. Kurenai gave him a sad smile and reached down to pet him gently.

"What about that Omaeda guy?" Renji suggested as he went back to work. "_He_ seems interested."  
>"Yeah," she replied with a snort, "he's interested alright, <em>and <em>rude, _and_ conceited. Renji, he's definitely not the one for me…" she sighed, cupping her chin in both hands. "Maybe… maybe everyone's right. Maybe I _am _being too selfish…" Renji stopped what he was doing and looked at his baby sister. He couldn't stand to see her looking so down on herself. He reached over to rub a soothing hand on her shoulder. She smiled in appreciation; the siblings only had each other left in their family. It had been just the two of them for a long time. "I just… I want to make them proud." she said.

"You already do, Kurenai." Renji said softly.

"How so?" she asked.

"By taking care of your idiot of a big brother, that's how." he said with a wide grin. Kurenai rolled her eyes.

"Lord knows you need it, Renji Abarai." she deadpanned. Renji laughed, even when it seemed the joke was at his expense.

"Hey, don't you worry." he said. "This invention's gonna be the start of a new life for us. In fact, I think it's time for a test run." He put on his goggles and pulled the lever for the device a part of the way. The machine jerked and jumped to life. Kenpachi barked at it, forcing Kurenai to hold him back by the scruff of his neck. Suddenly a laser formed, burning a hole into the center of the cellar wall.

"It works." Kurenai breathed.

"It does?" Renji asked. The laser intensified decimally, creating a larger hole in the wall. "It does!"

"You did it!" she exclaimed, jumping up to kiss her brother on the cheek. "You really did it!"

"Get Mercury ready, Kurenai! I'm off to that fair!" Renji stated, although he was interrupted as Kenpachi decided to celebrate by jumping on him, actually knocking him backwards so that he could lick his master's face.

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><p>Haha, so far so good, my dear readers. I apologize if any of the character changes confused you. I saw Renji right away as being the 'Maurice' character, but I thought it would be better if they were siblings instead. It is also more of a coincidence that the dog's name is Kenpachi. Either than that, I will update this, soon, and for those of you who read my story <strong>'Little Firefly'<strong>, I apologize for the wait, but I am still going to update soon on that, as well. Until then my readers, I bid you _adieu._


	2. Chapter 2: A Castle and a Proposal

Hello, my wonderful readers. Here is another chapter for you to enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I own Kurenai- that is all. 'Beauty and the Beast' belongs to Disney and Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo.**

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><p>Soon enough, Renji was taking off on the siblings' horse, Mercury, a beautiful and strong black horse. "Goodbye, Renji, and good luck." Kurenai called, waving to him.<p>

"Take care while I'm gone, Kurenai!" Renji called back with a wave.

As the day passed, Renji had crossed the vast lands, traversing mountains and various towns. Soon, night fell, and Mercury was not very sure that he was comfortable with the road that they were taking. There were too many weird noises, and the moon seemed to loom over them like a single, ominous silvery eye.

"We should've been there by now." Renji murmured, studying the map. "Unless, I took a wrong turn somewhere… I knew I should've…" He raised his lantern to the signs in the middle of a fork in the road. The destinations that should have been written there were all scratched out, but Mercury did not need to read the signs to determine which way he wanted to go. The road to the right looked gloomy and overcome by shadows. The road to the left was light and peaceful; yes, the road to the left seemed like the best option…

Now if only his rider would have agreed. Instead, Renji pulled the reins and guided Mercury down the right road. "Let's go this way." he said. Mercury attempted to pull away, towards the left road, but Renji forcefully pulled the horse back down the other path. "Come on, Mercury," he said crossly, "it's a shortcut. We'll be there in no time."

Mercury trembled as he walked down the path; he did not like this one bit. Renji was too focused on the map to notice just how frightening this road was. Mercury stopped as he heard something moving about in the shadows; he felt very uncomfortable by the fact that he could not see it. He began whinnying and neighing, making an attempt to move backward. Renji was still too focused on the map to realize.

"This can't be right!" he said, pulling away from the map. "Mercury, you dumbass, where have you taken us?" He sighed after a second. "Guess we'd better turn around."

Mercury, who was frightened by the sound of high-pitched howling, was already in the process of doing so, but didn't realize where he was backing up into and the wagon that held Renji's invention hit a hollowed-out tree. Unfortunately, that tree was the home of a flock of bats, who were not to happy to be awoken. Mercury, scared out of his mind, raced down the road he had not wanted to go in the first place. Renji tried to stop the horse, and did, when it was almost too late. A second more and they would have fallen off the edge of a cliff into a seemingly bottomless ravine. Mercury scrambled backwards.

"Good boy, good boy, steady." Renji said. Once more, though, Mercury became frightened as the high-pitched howls grew nearer. The panicked horse ended up bucking his rider off of its back and taking off. Renji looked to the remains of the lantern, which had smashed when he tumbled to the ground, and watched the cinders from the candle fizzle out. His heart seemed to beat twice as fast now that he was alone in the darkness. No stars shone tonight to guide him. Suddenly, he heard the high-pitched growls again. He knew them from anywhere and instinctively reached for his sword. He froze when he discovered it not to be there, then he remembered: he had left his sword in the wagon.

'I am such an idiot!' he thought to himself. Him without his sword? Talk about ill-prepared. His only other option was to run; he knew that that would only invite them to pursue, but it was his only chance. He ran like he had never run before, dashing and darting amongst trees and leaping over fallen trunks. He was much too worried, though, about his pursuers, and did not look where he was going. He tripped over a root that stuck up from the ground and fell face first over a drop into the dirt below. Pain erupted in his right ankle, but he ignored it for now. Looking up, he saw a massive, wrought iron gate. He didn't want to know what lied beyond it, but the shrieking howls were enough to convince him to get inside, now. Wincing, he got to his feet and hobbled, trying at the gate only to find it locked. "Hey," he cried out, "is someone there?" The howls were getting closer. Any moment now and they would zero in on him. "Help!" he cried out.

Suddenly, as if the gate had a mind of its own, it opened, and Renji tumbled inside. As he did, the band that kept his hair from his forehead fell off. He made himself busy by kicking the gate shut, but just as he was about to pull himself up, he cried out as a Hollow, grotesque- with a long, pointy nose and sharp fangs biting at a bar that made up the gate- in form grabbed at his ankle. He kicked the offending limb away and scrambled away from the gates. The sweat leaking down his face reminded him that he had lost his headband, but he'd look for it later. Right now, he was more focused on getting somewhere where he could reclaim his bearings. He looked up, only to discover that the gates opened up to the grounds of an immense castle that sat just over the ravine. The only way in and out of this place was via the bridge that he was now standing on. As he looked up, he couldn't help but think that the immense towers seemed to touch the sky. As his luck for today would have it, it started to rain. Renji ran- careful to keep his weight off his injured foot- across the bridge to knock on the massive front doors. When he received no answer, he pushed the door open and peered in.

With no one forcing him out, Renji entered, soaked and chilled to the bone. The room which he had entered was massive in its size. Everyone in the village could've fit in here, and then some. Yet, at the same time, it was so dark and gloomy, and with no one around, it almost seemed… hollow. Shadows filled the room, save for one area. On a little table sat a clock and recently lit candelabra. If someone lived here, they were definitely living a lonely life.

"Hello," he said to the shadows. With the room's massive size, his echoed voice almost seemed to be the voices of the shadows that engulfed the room. "Hello?" he asked slightly louder.

"Poor guy must've lost his way in the woods." a deep voice whispered.

"Be quiet," another voice said, clearly irritated, "maybe he'll go away."

Renji looked around, but saw no one. "Is someone there?" he called into the darkness.

"Not one word, Shunsui," the second voice threatened, "not _one_ word."

"I'm sorry to intrude, but… my horse took off and I got lost in the woods. I just need somewhere to stay, catch my bearings. I'll be outta your hair by the morning."

"Oh come on, Toshiro," the first voice pleaded, "give the guy a break." There was a slight 'shush' and then a cry of pain. "Of course my friend, you are most welcome here."

Renji, who wasn't sure who said that, grabbed the candelabra and held it up to the darkness. "Who's there?" he asked with a nervous edge to his voice.

"Over here." the voice said again, this time sounding closer. Renji turned, but much to his confusion, he saw no one. Suddenly, there was a tap on his shoulder, and he found himself looking at the candelabra. How odd, he thought, that the middle candle, which was also the tallest, seemed to almost have a face carved into it. It wasn't until it moved that Renji got the surprise of his life.

"Hey there." it said. Renji, in his astonishment, dropped the object and stepped back. With amazement, he watched as the candelabra recovered itself after being dropped to the floor.

"I-Impossible!" he exclaimed, although he was more surprised than frightened.

"Well," the clock said, its eyes opening. It jumped down to where the candelabra was. "Now you've done it, Shunsui. This is just peachy." Suddenly, the little clock cried out as Renji picked it up to examine it. He looked at it all over.

"How in the world…" Renji began to himself. Perhaps it was some type of advanced machinery, something he had never heard of. He just had to be sure.

"Stop that, put me down!" the clock cried out. His protests, however, were cut off by a fit of giggles as Renji attempted to examine the clock's feet. "Stop that!" the little clock repeated seriously. Renji did stop tickling him, but then shook the poor object. The candelabra couldn't help but laugh at his associate's predicament.

"Sounds like you have all of the parts a clock should have…" he said. "Hm, I wonder…" Despite the clock's protests, he turned it around in his hands and began winding it, ignoring its obvious cries of discomfort. To the clock, it felt like someone was trying to twist around his facial features all at once. Finally Renji was examining the pendulum in the clock's body.

"Close that!" the clock snapped, closing the door on Renji's finger. "Do you _mind_?"

"Sorry." Renji said sheepishly as he waved the pain out of his finger. "It's just that I've never…" His sentence caught as he felt a sneeze making its way up. Toshiro, the little clock, tried to get him to let go, but couldn't in time, and ended up getting sprayed by the oncoming sneeze. With a roll of his eyes, he used his clock hands as little wipers for his face. "Sorry about that." Renji said, wiping his nose.

"Man, you are soaked to the bone, my friend." Shunsui pointed out. "I think this definitely calls for a warm chair by the fire, don't you?" His gaze then drifted downward as he noticed that the guest was limping. "Ooh," he said with a wince, "it looks like you messed that ankle up something awful. We'll get that taken care of for you, too."

"Thank you." Renji said with a grateful nod. He let Shunsui lead him to a set of doors that had firelight leaking through the gap.

"No! You know what the master will do if he finds this man here." Toshiro barked.

Deep within the dark rooms of the castle, something finally stirred after being alone in the dark for so long.

"I demand that you stop, right now!" Toshiro insisted, trying to pull Renji back, only to fall over the steps leading into the room. When he looked up, he found Shunsui ushering Renji to sit in the chair. "No, no, no, no, no, no… Not the master's chair!" he groaned. When Renji finally allowed himself to sit down, a little footstool that acted like a dog- or a dog that looked like a footstool? - ran into the room. After a moment, it stood up straight under Renji's legs. Shunsui immediately set to work treating Renji's injured ankle. The injured man nodded gratefully to a coat hook that put a blanket over him. Toshiro was obviously being ignored, and he hated it. "Alright, this has gone on far enough! Remember that I'm in charge…" At that moment, he was nearly run over by a teacart that sped by. It pulled up next to Renji's chair, and he found himself looking at a teapot, who was looking back at him with a serene smile.

"Would you like a warm cup of tea?" she asked gently. "It may be just the thing that you need." Renji nodded. She poured the beverage from her spout into a diminutive teacup, who smiled at him. When she was done, the teacup hopped into his hand.

"I hope this makes you feel better, mister." the teacup said congenially. From the sound of his voice, he couldn't have been but a small child. Renji smiled back.

"Thanks." he said, taking a sip. The tea seemed to have an instantaneous effect; he found himself feeling warmer already.

"There you go." Shunsui said as he carefully finished tending to Renji's foot, cutting off the end of some gauze that he had wrapped around the injured foot. "Try not to put so much pressure on it." he said.

Renji nodded and smiled, despite himself. Maybe things would only get better from here on out.

Unfortunately, fate often has other plans for us. No sooner did Renji think this, the doors to the room flew open. The oncoming gust of air from the sudden action took out the fire, and any source of warmth Renji had encountered. The teacup leapt from his hands and hid behind the teapot, uttering a small "uh-oh." Renji's heartbeat accelerated again as shadows once more overtook the room. He couldn't run this time.

"Well," a high-pitched voice said, "I think it's time for another game." A wicked, high-pitched laugh set shivers down Renji's spine. "It's called 'Who Let the Stranger In?" There was a moment's pause, and then Shunsui stood up.

"Now, master, please, let me explain." he said calmly. "This fellow got lost in the woods. He was cold and injured…" Suddenly Shunsui stopped talking for whatever reason. Renji tried to focus on Shunsui's light. It was the only thing that kept him from losing his mind. And then, it too was snuffed out.

"Master, I would like to take this moment to say that this was all Shunsui's idea. I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen…" Toshiro was also silenced.

Renji looked around, his breath trembling. This darkness, this terror… he'd never experienced anything like this before. As he turned to his left, he saw nothing, but when he turned back, he was staring into two turquoise eyes. The owner of these eyes blended in with the shadows, but he could see a faint outline, along with sharp, pointy fangs as the thing smiled.

"Well, I can see that you are enjoying my castle." he said in a voice of mock pleasantry. Suddenly his gaze became cold and hard. "Now answer me this: Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Suddenly, Renji heard the loud _clink_ of a chain and then felt the cold, sharp, steely edge of a blade against his neck. He swallowed hard, trying to find his voice- in spite of his terror. Finally, his mind connected with his mouth.

"I-I got lost in the woods and…" He was too terrified to finish his sentence. The thing smiled once more, flashing its sharp fangs in Renji's direction.

"Well this leaves me with quite a bit of a predicament." the demon stated. Renji looked at it in confusion and terror mixed. "I could either kill you for trespassing where you're not welcome…" Much to his unspoken mirth, Renji's eyes filled with fear, and he tried to offer a shaky apology to the demon, who ignored it. "Or I could let you rot in my dark dungeons until the end of time. It's perfectly obvious to me now why you're here. You came to look at the demon, didn't you? Well, have you gotten a good look? Don't be shy. Tell me; I'd _love_ to hear your answer."

_**'Quit being so sadistic.'**_ a voice in the demon's head told him.

_'Well, look who finally decided to join the party.'_ the demon thought back.

_**'This is exactly why I sealed you away from the world.'**_ the voice replied.

"I'm sorry." Renji spoke up, gaining the thing's attention. "I meant no harm; I just needed a place to stay for the night."

"Oh, that's all, is it?" the demonic entity asked. Effortlessly, it picked Renji up by the front of his robes. "Well then, why don't I just give you a place to stay- _**permanently!**_" Ignoring the pleading cries of the man, it dragged him out, leaving the frightened servants alone in the darkness. Despite the fact that the doors had closed, they could still hear his pleading cries as he was dragged into the dark bowels of the castle.

* * *

><p>Rin and Omaeda peered through the bushes just outside of Kurenai and Renji's house the next day. Omaeda was dressed in his 'Sunday best' which consisted of a rather tacky outfit adorned with little gold embellishments.<p>

"Oh boy, Kurenai is going to get the surprise of her life today, huh, Omaeda-san?" Rin asked excitedly.

"You'd better believe it. This is her lucky day; after all not just anyone can be good enough to marry me." he said. He turned over to the small gathering of villagers, who had set up a small wedding venue in the yard, where everyone could see. He cleared his throat. "Great work on getting my wedding ready. Now all I have to do is propose to the girl." he said with a laugh. Most who laughed felt like they wouldn't get paid if they didn't laugh. Others merely sweat-dropped in their exasperation. He turned to Rin. "You know what to do when I come out with her." he reminded.

"Yeah, I strike up the band." Rin said enthusiastically. He started the band on a rather obnoxious round of the wedding march until Omaeda brought his fist down on poor Rin's head.

"Not _yet_!" he growled.

"Sorry." Rin sheepishly replied.

* * *

><p>It was a typical day for Kurenai. She was taking a break in between chores and reading in her chair by the fireplace. Kenpachi was curled at her feet, napping the hours away. Suddenly, his good ear went up in alert. He heard someone coming up the front steps. Kurenai also looked to the door; it was too early for Renji to be home. He had only taken off yesterday, unless things didn't go so well at the fair. Kenpachi knew, though, that those footsteps were too heavy to be those of Renji. He growled at the visitor.<p>

"Kenpachi," Kurenai chastised. She got up and went to the door, using a special device Renji had designed to see who came knocking at their door. When she saw Marechiyo Omaeda on the other side, she gave a groan of annoyance. Would this guy _ever_ give her a break? She looked to the dog, only to see as close to a smug look as a dog could give. "Shut up." she grumbled. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door. "Omaeda-san, what a surprise." Her voice flattened as he moved to let himself in the house.

"I know right?" he asked enthusiastically. "I'm completely full of surprises." He said as he let himself in.

'Funny,' Kurenai thought, 'and here I thought you were merely full of _yourself_.'

"Do you know how many women would dream to be the girl in your shoes Kurenai? This is the day…" He paused to look at himself in the mirror, using his tongue to clean out something out between his teeth before continuing, "This is the day that I make all your dreams come true."

"Uh-huh," Kurenai deadpanned, "and what do you know about my dreams, Omaeda?"

"Plenty." Omaeda answered, sitting at the kitchen table. Much to Kurenai's horror, he propped his feet up on the table, right where she had laid her book. To top it all off, his feet were coated with mud… Kenpachi growled. Not only had this oafish human taken his place at Renji's chair, but he was also trying to make moves on Kurenai. "Picture this," he said, "A rustic lodge, my latest kill that I worked hard to catch roasting on the fire, and my little wife massaging my feet. The little ones play on the floor with the dogs; we'll have six or seven."

"Please tell me you're talking about dogs." Kurenai sighed.

"No, Kurenai. I'm talking about strong little boys, like me."

"Huh, imagine that." she said, pulling her book free from under his feet.

"Speaking of which, Kurenai, the dogs will be purebred hunting dogs, not flea-bitten mongrels like that." Kenpachi growled as Omaeda pointed to him. Oh, how the dog wanted to run up and bite that finger off.

"Kenpachi," she warned lowly. The dog obediently settled.

"Anyway, do you know who that little wife will be, Kurenai?" he asked as she put her book away.

"Let me think…" she said with disgust. Suddenly two large hands were planted on either side of her. She turned to find Omaeda looming over her.

"You, Kurenai." he answered. Yep, that's what she had feared.

"Omaeda, I'm… speechless…" she said as she broke away from him, moving under his arm. She could still feel his eyes on her though. Suddenly an idea formed in her head and she backed up against the door. Now all she had to do was wait for the right moment. She resisted the urge to gag as he made his way over to her, trying- and epically failing to be seductive. "I really don't know what to say."

"Say you'll marry me, Kurenai." he replied, once again pinning her between his arms. He moved in closer. Oh hell no, this guy was going in for a kiss; only in his dreams.

"Well I'm sorry to say this, but…" she said, reaching for the doorknob, "I think you need to cool off." With that, she ducked as he lurched forward and tumbled out the door, right into the mud puddle that the pigs basked in.

Rin took that as his signal and struck up the band, only to realize too late that it was just Omaeda, face first in the mud puddle. He stopped the band and wandered over to the mud puddle. At first he was confused as he was not met with Omaeda, but a pigs head, and then the mentioned man shoved the pig off of his shoulders. "How did it go?" All of a sudden, Rin was pulled by the front of his jacket so that he was face to face with Omaeda's angry, mud-smeared face.

"I'll have Kurenai for my wife! Make no mistake of that!" With that, he tossed Rin into the mud and stormed out.

"Touchy," Rin said to one of the pigs, who snorted in agreement.

Kurenai opened the door and found everyone to be gone. With a loud, irritated groan, she looked to a chicken that was pecking at the grains of corn in the feed bucket. "Can you imagine?" she asked incredulously. "After all the times I've said 'no', he _still _asks me to marry him?" She grabbed the bucket and headed to the stables to feed the animals. Kenpachi followed. "Me, the wife of that boorish, brainless…!" she exclaimed. "Can't you just see it, Kenpachi? Me, Mrs. Omaeda, his little wife? Nuh-uh. It's not gonna happen! Why can't they just leave me alone?"

After her chores were finally finished, she took a walk down to a little clearing that she knew well. Kenpachi joined her as she sat down.

"They just don't get it, Kenpachi; I don't _want_ to get married yet. I don't want the same thing everyday. I want _adventure_. I want it more than I've ever wanted anything." she said, lifting her hand to pet him. "And… I want someone who understands… do you think that's too much to ask for?" Kenpachi gave a low 'woof' and licked her hand. She chuckled and put an arm around her dog in an embrace.

A neigh brought them back to focus. They turned and saw Mercury rush into the clearing with the wagon still attached to him. It was obvious that the horse was still very frightened. "Mercury," she said gently, grabbing him by the reins. "What're you doing here? Where's… Where's Renji?" she asked as she started to become worried. She looked in the wagon. The machine looked untouched, and then Kurenai saw something that only worsened her fears: Renji's sword lay at the bottom of the wagon. Renji normally always had his sword on him. "Where is he, Mercury?" Soon, her mind was made up, and she set to work unhitching the wagon. "We have to find him, Mercury. Take me to him."

* * *

><p>So there you have it readers. I will have more soon. Until then, I bid you <em>adieu<em>.


	3. Chapter 3: A Bargain and a Plot

Hello my dear readers! Here's another chapter for you. I hope you enjoy this!

_Updated 10/18/12- Despite no one responding to my poll _(T~T) _I decided to go through with adding songs from the musical. I hope you enjoy it, my wonderfully faithful readers! And a big thank you to the reviews I have gotten recently for this story. Much love and cookies. Look for more updates later on!_

**Disclaimer: I only own Kurenai. 'Beauty and the Beast' belongs to Disney and Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo. The songs also belong to the original composers!**

* * *

><p>They rode through the night, and finally stopped when they saw the iron gate. Kurenai cringed at the ominous feeling she got looking at that gate. "What <em>is<em> this place?" she asked aloud. Mercury had clearly had enough of this scary place and wanted to leave. With a sharp neigh, he attempted to turn back, but she was already off of his back and attempting to soothe him. Suddenly, her eye caught something; snagged on a tree branch and waving in the wind like a white banner was Renji's headband. Kurenai opened the gate and grabbed the piece of cloth. Renji had been here, alright. She looked at the castle ahead of her.

"Renji…" she breathed.

* * *

><p>"Couldn't keep quiet, could we?" Toshiro asked. "Just had to invite him in for tea, sit in the master's chair…" he scoffed.<p>

"I was just trying to be hospitable." Shunsui insisted. "You know, the golden rule and all that."

* * *

><p>Kurenai opened the massive door and peered into the shadows. The lonely and deserted atmosphere only made her more apprehensive. What was Renji doing in a place like this? "Hello? Is anyone here?" she called. She was answered with nothing but her echo. Swallowing her fear and treading carefully, she stepped deeper into the castle. "Hello? Renji?" she called again, approaching the grand staircase. She ignored the horrific statues that she saw all over the place, knowing that they would only frighten her worse. "Renji-nii-san, are you here?"<p>

* * *

><p>"Miss Unohana, Miss Unohana," the tiny teacup cried, clinking down the table to where the teapot was monitoring the dishwashing. "There's a…there's a girl… in the castle!"<p>

"Now Hanataro," Miss Unohana chastised with a stern look on her face, "I wish you wouldn't make up such wild stories."

"B-But I'm not making this up, Miss Unohana. I really did see her, honest!" he chirped to his mother figure.

"Not another word, Hanataro." she said gently. "Now it's time for your bath." With that, she scooped up the tiny cup with her spout and tossed him into the tub.

"It's true." a feather-duster named Nanao interjected as she entered. "I, too, just saw a girl enter the castle."

"See," Hanataro said from the edge of the tub, "I told ya."

* * *

><p>"Irresponsible, lazy, devil-may care…" Toshiro ranted. Shunsui wasn't paying much attention, as usual. His mind seemed to wander when he was being lectured by Toshiro, so the clock's arguments were often rather one-sided.<p>

"Nii-san?" a voice called, halting Toshiro's rant. The both of them must have been hallucinating, or did they really just see a young girl pass the archway.

"Kami, there _can_ be miracles!" Shunsui exclaimed. He jumped off the table with Toshiro closely following him. Looking around the corner, they did indeed see a young girl walking down the corridor. "It's a girl." he declared.

"I have eyes, too, you know." Toshiro grumbled.

"She's the one, Toshiro! She's come to break the spell, I know it!" Shunsui exclaimed excitedly. He hopped after the girl as fast as he could.

"Shunsui, wait!" Toshiro called, rushing after her as well.

Kurenai was beginning to be overcome with worry. She had been searching for quite a while now, and had yet to see or be answered by Renji. She feared the worst. Once more she unsuccessfully called out for her brother. She was just about to give up when she heard from behind her a door creak open. Odd, she told herself, but curiosity compelled her to enter. Shunsui and Toshiro, who had opened the door, and had hidden behind it, headed up the stairs as Kurenai walked through the doorway.

"Hello?" she called. From the corner of her eye, she saw a faint light retreating up the stairwell straight ahead. "Is someone there? Wait," she exclaimed, stepping ahead, "I'm looking for my brother!" She raced after this person, rushing up the stairs two at a time. When she reached the top, however, she found it odd and a little eerie that there was no one there. "That's funny," she murmured to herself. "I'm sure there was someone…"

Shunsui smiled at his cleverness at having hid in a small alcove right next to this girl. This way, he was able to get a better look at her. She was a tiny thing, not quite a girl, yet not yet a woman at the same time. If only he could get a better look at her face…

"Is anyone here?" she asked aloud.

From the shadows of the dungeon, a weak voice answered her. "Kurenai?" The mentioned girl felt her heart swell with relief. Shunsui smiled to himself; _this _is whom the girl was looking for. Well now things made a little more sense. The girl ran to his cell, grabbing a torch from the wall.

"Renji," she cried grabbing onto his hand through the barred door. It was as close to an embrace as the siblings were going to get at the moment.

"How did you find me?" he asked weakly as he peered through the door.

"Your hands are like ice." she said. She pulled the one she held and pressed it to her face in the hope that it would warm him up. He coughed horribly into the other one and it was painfully obvious to Kurenai that he was sick. He was unusually pale and his eyes were bloodshot. "I have to get you out of here." she said with determination.

"No, Kurenai." Renji answered. He looked at her with desperation. "I want you to leave this place." Her eyes widened. Leave her brother behind, to die alone? No, that was inexcusable. She wouldn't let that happen.

"No, Renji, I can't." she said, almost on the verge of tears. "Who's done this to you?"

"I can't explain; just go. Go, now!"

"I won't abandon you, Renji!" she declared. Suddenly, her heart leapt as she felt something hard clamp on her shoulder and pull her away from the cell. Kurenai rolled a few feet before pushing herself to kneel.

"_Another _intruder?" a voice asked loudly.

"Run, Kurenai!" Renji cried out. Kurenai's torch was smoldered in a puddle of water, and the shadows returned. Kurenai cowered in the corner she found herself in.

"Who's there? Who are you?" she asked, attempting to hide her fear.

"What a funny question to ask, little _onna_, considering that _you're_ the one trespassing on my castle." a high-pitched voice answered from the shadows. Kurenai got up and ran over to Renji's cell door, putting on a brave face.

"I've come for my brother. Please, let him out. Can't you see? He's sick!"

"Well then he shouldn't have trespassed here, either." the voice answered.

"But he could die. Please," she begged, "I'll do anything."

"Hm," the person in the shadows began, "an interesting offer, really, but the question is… what makes you think I care whether he lives or dies? Or another question that comes to mind: How do I know you will keep any promise you make to me? In other words, I don't feel like giving up my prisoner."

"Oh," Kurenai sighed in exasperation, "there must be something I can…" Suddenly, a thought hit her head. Without stopping to give it another thought, she spoke. "Wait." The person paused. For a second she hesitated, but when she looked back at Renji, she knew what she had to do. She leaned into the light, taking off her hood to reveal her long, scarlet locks. "Take me, instead." Suddenly, she felt cold, hard fingers wrap around her neck and hoist her up.

"You…" the thing said, irritation in its voice, but then it washed away, and in its place was confusion. "You would… take his place?"

"No Kurenai," Renji said, gripping both bars on the door to his cell. "You don't know that you're thinking!" Kurenai ignored her brother's protests, however, and continued on with the deal making.

"If I did," she said against the person's grasp around her throat, "would you let him go?"

The demon paused. He actually didn't have an answer for that. _'What would you do?' _he asked **that** part of himself.

_**'You actually want my opinion? I guess I should be flattered.' **_it answered.

_'__Don't__ get smart with me, your Highness! Remember, you're the one who didn't want anyone harmed because of me. I might just let my temper out on this little girl.'_

_**'…The girl is of more use to us than the man. I don't want anyone dying here. Let him go. I think the girl will give her word without much of a fight.'**_

_'If you insist.' _the demon thought. It smiled at the girl and non-graciously let her go. She dropped down at his feet.

"Fine then; why not, but _you_ must promise to stay here forever."

Kurenai's heart drooped at that information, but then she wondered something to would ease her mind to stay here for the rest of her life- however long that may be- if she knew what her warden looked like. "Come into the light." She beckoned. The demon hesitated for a second.

_'Just remember, __**Your Highness**__, that __**you're **__the one who wanted her to stay here.'_ it thought. He stepped into the light, as requested. Kurenai's eyes widened as the shape she had seen in the darkness became more real. Legs wrapped in gray appeared first, with a gray cloth tied at the waist. He was built, but at the same time, that black skin, tinted red in the light, set her on edge. It had strong arms, the hands of which held crooked, double-bladed twin scythes, attached together by a chain that _clinked _along the floor behind him. Pointed ears framed sharp facial features and pure turquoise eyes. Instead of hair, it seemed like there was an extension of the demon's head that went to his knees. It smiled at her, revealing a set of nasty, sharp looking fangs.

Kurenai gasped in horror and then turned to Renji.

"No, Kurenai," he cried out, grasping her hand in desperation, "I won't let you do this!" Shaken, but still determined to do what she could to save her brother's life, she got to her feet, slightly sobbing, and took a few steps toward the creature.

"You have my word." she said weakly.

"Done!" the creature exclaimed. It moved swiftly over to the cell and opened it. Renji hobbled out to his sister, careful to stay off of his injured foot. Kurenai knelt on the floor, having lost her ability to stand with the gravity of her situation.

"Kurenai, listen to me," Renji begged, placing his hands on her shoulders, "I screwed up my chances; I've lived my life, but yours has barely begun…" Suddenly the older brother cried out as he was pulled out of the room by the back of his clothing. He cried out for his sister.

"Wait!" she cried.

"Kurenai!"

"Wait!" she cried again as this time she attempted to reach for her brother.

Effortlessly, the creature dragged the injured man outside, down the steps and across the yard, until they reached an abandoned carriage that looked like it hadn't been used in ages. Roots had grown over the legs of it and the wheels were not to be found.

"No, please," Renji begged, "spare my sister! Not Kurenai…"

"I wouldn't worry about something that is no longer your concern. Just forget about her." the demon responded. With that, he tossed the man into the carriage. "Take him back to the village."

Ignoring the man's desperate pleas to let him out, the carriage legs broke free of their root prisons and began walking on their own. Renji tried to fight his way out, but it was no use. This thing was bound and determined to get him back to the village, as ordered.

From the tower, Kurenai watched as the carriage holding her brother walked across the bridge and out of sight. Tears flooded down her cheeks, made even more so as the memories started coming back to her.

'_Renji-nii-san, where did mama and papa go?' a little Kurenai asked. Her older brother's hold on her hand tightened, and when she looked up, she could see tears rolling down his face._

_ 'They're gone, Kurenai.' he answered as he picked the little girl up. 'From now on, it's just me and you.' The little girl did not know why her older brother was shaking so hard, but she held him back just as tightly._

_ 'It's okay, Renji-nii-san.' she said gently. 'No matter where they are, they love us, and they're doing what they can to watch over and protect us.'_

_ 'You're right, Kurenai.' Renji said with a light sniffle. 'Let's stay together, and make mama and papa proud.' Kurenai nodded._

* * *

><p>The demon made its way back up the tower steps, unsure of how he was going to deal with this girl. While the prince may have wanted her here, it's not like he could always communicate with her, not while he had all the control. Why was he doing this? That last thing he wanted was for the prince to break his spell. That would mean that his time was done. Truth be told, though, he had gotten rather bored since the prince sealed him within the confines of this castle. Maybe this girl would give him a little entertainment.<p>

_**'She's not your plaything.' **_the other voice chastised.

_'That is not to say I can't have a little fun with her.' _the demon answered.

_**'You disgust me.'**_the voice said lowly.

_'Sticks and stones, Your Highness.'_ it replied.

"Master?" Shunsui asked.

"What?" the demon growled.

"Well, since the girl is going to be with us for a very long time, I think it's best if she has somewhere a little more comfortable to stay." The demon gave him a look that silenced him and then took off. Shunsui sighed.

"Then again, maybe not." he said with a shake of his head.

He entered the room again to find Kurenai at the window, tear streaks streaming down her face. She turned to him and upon seeing him sobbed harder. "You didn't… let me say goodbye." she cried. "Don't you get it? He's my only family, and I'll never see him again!" She turned back to the window and cried harder. "I didn't say goodbye…"

At this, he felt slightly guilty, but he didn't show it. "I'll show you to your room." he said lowly.

"M-my room," she echoed with a slight sniffle, "b-but I thought…"

"Would you rather live here in the tower?" he asked.

"No," she answered, clearly shaken.

"Good. Then follow me." He turned around and started walking.

"Wait," she said as she picked herself up. He stopped at the foot of the stairs, not turning back to look at her.

"What?" he snapped.

"What… what do I call you by?" she asked as she wiped her cheeks.

The creature paused for a moment and looked ahead. It had been so long since he had been asked that. After a moment, he peered at her over his shoulder.

"Kazeshini." he answered.

Her eyes widened. _Winds of death_? Yeah, because that helped out her already frightened psyche.

He led her along the halls, Shunsui in his hand. He had to admit, he found the quiet to be rather awkward. He heard her gasp once or twice, probably from scaring herself by looking at the hideous murals on the walls. He looked over his shoulder and was finally able to really take her in. She was definitely pretty; in the warm sepia tone of the candlelight, her hair took an almost gold tone, framing her heart-shaped face and cascading like a waterfall down to her knees. She was so small compared to him, with the top of her head barely coming up to his shoulder. He became even more uncomfortable as he saw the girl crying.

_'Hey, your Highness, how do I get her to stop crying?'_

_**'Let me talk to her.'**_

Kazeshini hesitated, but with a mental sigh, let his other side do so.

"Well, go on," Shunsui insisted, "say something to her."

He cleared his throat. "I, uh… I hope you're happy here." he said. Why did it sound so wrong coming from his lips? Maybe because it was the demon's voice and not his own. The girl didn't answer, and he looked over his shoulder to see a stray tear fall down her cheek. This was going to be harder than he thought. 'Think…' he lectured himself. With a deep breath, he continued the one-sided conversation. "This castle is your home now, so you can go anywhere you want… except for the West Wing."

She looked up at him curiously. "What's in the West…?" she started to ask before he turned on her.

"It's forbidden!" he snapped. She stepped away from him, frightened. He mentally yelled at himself for letting his temper once again get the best of him. He didn't want her to be frightened of him; so much for that idea. He turned and continued on his way. She took a deep breath and cautiously followed him.

Eventually, after traversing several corridors, he opened the door for her to a dark, musty room. It was large, far so than her room back home, but it was also lonely and void. She walked in with her head hung. He watched her and tried to think of anything that might cheer her up.

"If you need anything, my servants will attend you." he said.

"Invite her to dinner." Shunsui suggested in a whisper.

He paused. How could he ask her that? 'Hey, since you're my virtual prisoner now, I'm ordering you to eat dinner with me.' Yeah, that would go over well. He grit his teeth.

_**'Let me take care of this, since you're too much of a coward to do it yourself.'**_ Kazeshini said, relinquishing control from him. "You will join me for dinner, girl. That's _not_ a request." With that, he slammed the door shut.

_**'Not the way I would've handled that.'**_ the other side said.

_'Oh well. It's done.' _Kazeshini replied.

Kurenai, on the other hand, leaned against the door for a moment before pushing herself to her feet and sauntered over to the bed, sitting on its edge. She looked about the dark room, feeling uneasy and unsafe at the slightest creaks that echoed throughout the space. How, she wondered, could she possibly bear being in a place where misery seemed to thrive like a wildly sprouting weed. A chill ran through her and she was unable to determine if it came from the blizzard outside or from her own fears. She could only think of Renji, who had struggled against the demon to try and reach for her. She hoped that he would be alright now that he was safe. She glared at the doorway where she had last seen the demon Kazeshini.

_Yes, I made the choice.  
><em>_For Renji, I will stay.  
><em>_But I don't deserve  
><em>_to lose my freedom in this way!  
><em>_You… monster! _She grit her teeth, feeling her fists clench at her sides.

_If you think that what you've done  
><em>_is right, well then,  
><em>_you're a fool! Think again… _

Contrary to what she believed, yelling at the demon, imagining that he was still there didn't make her feel any better. She curled herself into a ball, her arms looping around her knees. Gently, she started to sob.

_Is this home?  
><em>_Is this where I should  
><em>_learn to be happy?  
><em>_Never dreamed  
><em>_that a home could be  
><em>_dark and cold.  
><em>_I was told everyday of my childhood,  
><em>_even when we grow old,  
><em>_'Home will be where the heart is'.  
><em>_Never were words so true.  
><em>_My heart's far, far away.  
><em>_Home is, too._

_Is this home?  
><em>_Is this what I must  
><em>_learn to believe in?  
><em>_Try to find  
><em>_something good  
><em>_in this tragic place  
><em>_just in case I should stay here forever,  
><em>_held in this empty space.  
><em>_Oh, but that won't be easy,  
><em>_I know the reason why:  
><em>_My heart's far, far away,  
><em>_home's alike._

_What I'd give to return  
><em>_to the life that I knew lately,  
><em>_but I know that I can't  
><em>_solve my problems going back._

_Is this home?  
><em>_Am I here for a day  
><em>_or forever?  
><em>_Shut away from the world  
><em>_until who-knows-when?  
><em>_Oh, but then, as my life has been altered  
><em>_once, it can change again._

With a newfound determination, Kurenai uncurled herself, stood up and walked over to the bedroom door.

_Build higher walls around me,  
><em>_change every lock and key._

With a quick flick of her wrist, she turned the brass key and felt something settle within her at having heard the soft _click _of the lock. She leaned her head against the door and then turned with her back against it as if to use her body to keep that thing from entering, her hand over her heart.

_Nothing lasts, nothing holds  
><em>_all of me._

_My heart's far, far away,  
><em>_home and free…_

Feeling her will break down once more, however, Kurenai walked over to and collapsed on her bed, finally allowing herself to break down into tears.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back in the village tavern, everyone was having a good time, save for one. Omaeda, still unable to deal with Kurenai's public rejection of his proposal, sat in his chair in front of the fire. "Who does she think she is?" he asked aloud. "No one says no to me!"<p>

"Ain't that the truth?" Rin asked, returning with a pint of beer.

"Dismissed, rejected… and publicly humiliated! It's more than I can bear!" he said, throwing both pints- mugs and all- into the fire. The flames rose higher for a second, and then settled down again.

"More beer, Omaeda-san?" he asked.

"What's the use?" he asked, slumping in his chair. "Nothing will help me right now, you idiot. I'm disgraced."

"Who, you? Never, Omaeda-san." Rin suggested. Omaeda turned away, but Rin caught him by the shoulders. "You've gotta pull yourself together. You'll just ruin the mood by being so down in the dumps. Here, you're everyone's favorite guy. We're all inspired by you, and we all wanna be like you."

After a moment, Omaeda smiled. "You're right, Rin. I'm the best hunter and the strongest guy here. No one can beat me. Maybe I just have to make Kurenai realize this."

The bar seemed to liven up now that Omaeda was in a good mood again. He sat with his cronies, who were sure to shower him with compliments. The mood, though was soon dashed when Renji hobbled in.

"Help!" he cried. Murmurs began to fill the room, as they usually did when Renji Abarai came into town. "Please, I need your help. He's… he's got her… locked in a dungeon!"

"Who?" one of the men Renji had grabbed onto in his begging asked.

"Kurenai! Come on, we've gotta go, now!"

"Whoa, slow down, Abarai." Omaeda said. "Who's got Kurenai locked in a dungeon?"

"A demon! A horrible, murderous demon!" Renji exclaimed. There was a moment of silence and then the entire tavern broke into a bout of laughter.

"Was it big?" one tavern patron asked.

"Huge!" Renji exclaimed.

"Covered in blood?"

"Head to toe!"

"With sharp, cruel fangs?" another asked.

"Yes, yes! Will you help me?" he asked desperately.

"Calm down, you idiot. We'll help you out." he said. He motioned for his cronies to pick him up.

"You will? Oh thank you, thank you!" he exclaimed, only realizing too late that they were throwing him back out into the cold. Once he was gone, the tavern was once more filled with laughter and lively chatter.

"Crazy Abarai…" one man mentioned.

"He's always good for a laugh." his friend commented. Omaeda had heard this from his chair and suddenly, a thought hit his head.

"Crazy Abarai…" he said as his mind began to wander. "Rin, a thought just came to my head."

"You know that's a very dangerous thing, Omaeda-san." the smaller man said warningly.

"I know. It's just that seeing Abarai act like a loon like that got the wheels in my head turning, and now I think I've come up with a plan. I promised that I would marry Kurenai, and I think I've found a way." With that, he pulled Rin in to discuss this plan.

Outside, Renji struggled to get to his feet. The cold bit harshly at him. Suddenly, a big black shape came out of the blizzard and sniffed at Renji. He looked at the creature desolately. "What do I do, Kenpachi? Will no one help me?"

* * *

><p>There you have it, readers. This is chapter three. I will have more out soon, hopefully. Until then, I bid you <em>adieu<em>.


	4. Chapter 4: Rejection and Curiosity

Here you are, my dear readers, another chapter ready for you. Please enjoy!

Update: 8/18/12- I didn't add in the song from the musical segment for this, again. I just couldn't see Shuuhei singing this, but I did get the basic point down for this song.

**Disclaimer: I only own Kurenai. 'Beauty and the Beast' belongs to Disney and Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo.**

* * *

><p>Kurenai kneeled against her bed, wiping her eyes. She had decided that crying would do her no good, not if she wanted to get through this. As she found her resolve, there was a soft knock at the door. She looked over her shoulder at the door.<p>

"Who is it?" she asked.

"Miss Unohana, dear." said a gentle voice on the other side of the door. She got up and went to answer it, yet became confused when she saw no one there. "I thought," said a voice from below her, "that you might like a nice cup of tea." She was alarm to see a teapot hopping past her feet. Following her like a little duckling following its mother was a little teacup. Kurenai didn't know whether to be amazed or confused. She backed away.

"Y-You're…" Suddenly she backed into something solid and heard a little 'oof' behind her. She turned and found the wardrobe looking back down at her.

"Careful, honey." it said. "I'm not as solid as I used to be."

"This is impossible." Kurenai breathed, sitting on her bed to let this all absorb.

"Believe me, I know where you're coming from." the wardrobe replied, leaning against the bed. "Yet, here we are."

Miss Unohana took care in pouring tea into Hanataro.

"I told you she was pretty, didn't I, Miss Unohana?" he asked, giving the girl a meek little smile.

"That will do, Hanataro." she said. The teacup hopped over to the girl, who knelt down to him. "Slowly please. Don't spill."

"Thank you." Kurenai said gratefully as she picked up the little teacup. She halfheartedly returned his smile as she picked him up and then raised him to her lips.

"Hey, miss," he interjected, causing her to pull her lips away from the rim of the teacup, "do you wanna see a trick?" He took a deep breath and then closed his eyes and scrunched up his face in concentration. Instantaneously, the tea started bubbling, nearly going over the rim.

"Hanataro," Miss Unohana said. Her voice was gentle, but it still had that warning edge to it. The little teacup chuckled sheepishly. Kurenai couldn't help but to giggle a little bit. "That was a very brave thing you did, my dear." Miss Unohana said.

The wardrobe nodded enthusiastically in agreement. "We all think so."

Kurenai hung her head, looking at her reflection in the tea still remaining in the teacup. "But I lost my brother, my dreams… everything." she said sadly.

"Please do not be sad, my dear." Miss Unohana said soothingly. The girl gave her a light smile. "It will be alright in the end. You'll see. Oh, listen to me, talking while supper is waiting to be served. Hanataro, let's go." Hanataro gave his new friend a smile and then hopped out of her hand. The two left the room with the teacup giving her a little 'bye'.

"Well, let's see what we've got for you to wear for dinner, shall we?" the wardrobe asked. Kurenai was about to say something when the wardrobe interjected. "Wanna see what I have in my drawers?" she asked a little too enthusiastically.

"Not really." Kurenai answered, "In fact I don't think…" Too late. The wardrobe had already opened her front doors. Much to their surprise, moths flew out; immediately, she closed her doors again.

"Well _that_ was embarrassing." she said sheepishly. "Let's try that again." She opened the door again, relieved to find it moth-free and pulled out a bright red dress. "Here we go. This will look so good with your hair…"

"That's very kind of you, really," Kurenai said, "but I'm not going to dinner."

"What?" the wardrobe asked, shocked. "B-but you have to…"

Little click-clacks alerted them of a small clock's presence. He looked at her for a moment and then gave a light, respectful bow. "Dinner is served, my lady."

Down in the dining room, Kazeshini paced, snarling in his impatience. He had waited too long for this. It had taken a lot of coaxing to have the demon relinquish control, and he was not going to let it be all for nothing.

"What's taking so long?" he grumbled. "I told her to come down. Why isn't she here yet?" His hollering caused the two servants standing on the mantle to jump for a moment. Shunsui and Miss Unohana looked at each other before Miss Unohana decided to answer.

"Please try to be patient, sir. The girl has lost her brother and her freedom all in one day." she explained. Kazeshini rolled his eyes and kept pacing.

"Master," Shunsui began carefully, "have you thought that maybe, just maybe, this girl could be the one to break the spell?"

"Of course I have!" the demon interjected. "I am _not_ a fool!"

Shunsui smiled. "Good, then it's simple. If this dinner goes well, you'll fall in love with her, she'll fall in love with you. Bingo, the spell is broken! We'll be human again by midnight." Miss Unohana shook her head.

"Shunsui, it's not that easy. These things take time." she said. "In addition, he also must find a way to gain control back from the demon.

_**'Heh, good luck with that.' **_the mentioned entity scoffed.

"But the rose has already begun to wilt." Shunsui pointed out, attempting to keep his voice down. Kazeshini looked to the floor; he knew his time was running out. Why did people always have to remind him? This girl was his last and only hope. She was also the last hope of the others, as well. In other words, he could _not_ mess this up.

"It's no use," he groaned, leaning against the table, resting his cheek on one hand. "She's so beautiful and I'm… well, look at me!" he hollered, motioning to his body. Shunsui and Miss Unohana looked at one another to find a common ground for giving rapport. The small teapot smiled at her young charge.

"Well you must help her to see past all that." she said.

"I don't know how." Kazeshini replied grumpily, turning away from his servants.

Miss Unohana's smile widened and she jumped down from the mantle, only to hop up onto the table. "Well," she began, "You can start by making yourself more presentable. Now straighten up, try to act like a gentleman." Kazeshini did as he was told. He feared that if he didn't, it might bring about Miss Unohana's dark side. Gentle as she might have been, even Kazeshini was afraid of making her angry.

"Yeah," Shunsui joined in, following suit. "And a classy smile never hurt anyone. Come on, now, show us the smile." Kazeshini rolled his eyes, but did as he was told, giving them a half-hearted grin. Despite his best attempts to look friendly, he still showed his sharp teeth.

"Please don't frighten the poor girl." Unohana insisted wholeheartedly.

"Impress her with your sharp wits." Shunsui suggested.

"But be gentle." Unohana serenely advised.

"Shower her with compliments."

"But be sincere." At this point, Kazeshini was holding his head in an attempt to soothe the headache he was obtaining from his servants. Why was it that all of their suggestions contradicted each other? What was he going to do? She would be down any minute and he was so lost.

"And above all," Shunsui began, looking at Miss Unohana, who nodded in agreement. "You _must_ control your _temper_!"

A rattle at the door sent Kazeshini's heart into a frenzy. 'Well, here goes nothing.' he thought to himself. All the anxiety his heart held, though, came crashing down when he discovered that it was just Toshiro.

"Good evening." he said tensely. Shunsui winced and shook his head. He knew that when Toshiro greeted people, it meant that he didn't generally come along with the best news. The room filled with awkward silence for a moment. Kazeshini found himself impatiently waiting, yet Toshiro didn't seem to get the hint.

"Well," he began impatiently, "where _is_ she?"

Toshiro looked to his feet, which shuffled with nervous tension. He didn't know how he was going to say this, and it would be a miracle that he was not dismantled. Finally, he sighed. "Circumstances being what they are…" He looked up and met his master in the eyes, "She's not coming."

The entire castle heard Kazeshini's response; many were surprised that being a demon with such a high pitched voice that he could make it sound like he was actually roaring. _**"WHAT?" **_he vocalized. In his head, the demon was laughing like crazy.

_**'I believe, your Highness,' **_it said through a fit of giggles, _**'that's what we call being 'rejected.'' **_

He burst through the doors and leapt up the stairs, dashing like a mad bull- although he was a lot angrier than that- down the hallway until he came to Kurenai's room. Shunsui, Toshiro and Miss Unohana were racing as fast as they could after him, so as to prevent him from doing anything rash. He pounded on the door with enough force that it threatened to knock it off its hinges. The walls trembled from the force of his blows. "I thought I told you to come down to dinner!" he hollered.

"I'm not hungry." Kurenai replied through the door.

"Come out, now, or I will break down this door and drag you down to the dining room." he roared.

"I'm not coming out of my room and doing something I don't want to just because you _order_ me to." she countered. Kazeshini's anger had reached a boiling point. He was just about to retaliate when Shunsui stopped him.

"I could be wrong, master," he said, gaining a very, very irate Kazeshini's attention, "but that really doesn't seem like the best way to gain the girl's affection."

"At least attempt to act like a gentleman." Toshiro said crossly.

"How can I when she's being so _difficult_?" he growled in the door's direction.

"Gently," Miss Unohana crooned. Kazeshini attempted to take a deep, calming breath and then grudgingly swallowed his pride and his temper. "Would you come down to dinner?"

"No." Kurenai answered. Kazeshini kept his mouth shut, but looked to the other three motioning to the door as if to say 'see!' Just as he was about to say something, it was Toshiro's turn to interrupt.

"Suave and genteel…" he reminded carefully.

Kazeshini took another calming breath. "It would give me… great _pleasure_… if you would join me for dinner." He even bowed, hoping it would help his case, even if she couldn't see it.

"Please," Toshiro suggested with a cough.

Kazeshini sighed, but still, he had to say it. "Please," he said obligingly.

"No thank you." Kurenai yet again denied. Finally, the dam that was Kazeshini's temper finally burst like a high pressure geyser.

"You can't stay in there _forever_!" he roared at her through the door.

"Yes I can." she argued.

"Fine, then! Go ahead and STARVE!" he made sure to roar that last part out at the top of his lungs, then he looked to the other three. "If she doesn't eat with me, then she doesn't eat at all!" he ordered. With that being said, he raced off to the other end of the castle, slamming the door at the end of the hallway with such force that a piece of the ceiling fell onto Shunsui's head.

"Ouch!" he said slowly.

"Oh dear," Miss Unohana sighed. "That didn't go well at all."

"Shunsui, stand guard and alert me at the slightest hint of movement."

"You can count on me, Toshiro." the candelabra replied, giving him an informal salute before he took his place in front of Kurenai's door. Toshiro turned to Miss Unohana and sighed. "Well, let's start cleaning up." he said. The two started down the hall.

Kazeshini kicked the doors of his nearly dilapidated room open. Kicking aside furniture and random detritus, he began pacing angrily. "What an outrage! I ask nicely, and she still refuses me!" He kicked an unrecognizable piece of furniture aside as he made his way to the small table that held his most prized possession. "What does she want me to do? Beg?"

'_**Begging may not be such a bad idea.'**_ the demon suggested. _**'Either way you look at it, your chances of getting this girl are getting way slim.'**_

_'It was __your__ idea to order her to come to dinner.'_

_**'Yes, but **__**you**__**were the one who was so eager to act on it. You could've said no, but you went with it, anyway.'**_

His gaze drifted to the mirror, and without thinking twice he picked it up. "Show me the girl!" he demanded. The mirror stopped reflecting his image- the one he never wanted to look at- and in the next moment he saw Kurenai sitting on her bed with her arms crossed. Rangiku, the wardrobe was trying to talk to her.

_"The master's not so bad once you get to know him." _Rangiku suggested. _"Maybe if you just gave him a chance, you would…"_

_ "I don't want to get to know him."_ Kurenai said obstinately. _"I don't want to have anything to do with him!"_

Kazeshini's heart dropped as the image faded back to his reflection. His head lowered in disappointment.

_**'Ouch. Sorry, your Highness. Even I thought that was harsh.'**_

_ 'Let me back in." _he thought.

_**'What?'**_

_'I'm only fooling myself. She will never see me- us as anything… but a monster.' _He set the mirror face down on the table, next to the glass that held the black rose, which remained magically suspended in air.

_**'You mean…?'**_

_'Yeah.' _he replied. His heart drooped even further as he watched a petal float from the rose to the steady pile that was growing beneath it. _'It's hopeless.'_

Hours after their heated argument, Kurenai was awoken by her growling stomach. She knew, after Kazeshini had ordered it, that she really shouldn't be trying to get food, but it was worth a try. She got up and walked to her door, careful not to wake Rangiku from her slumber. She peeked out and found the hall abandoned.

"Come on, Nanao-chan," she heard Shunsui insist, "you're breaking my heart here."

"I'm _not_ interested, Kyoraku-san." she said harshly.

He was about to insist again, but then he sensed something amiss and peered around the corner as he heard someone walk by. From behind the curtain, he saw Kurenai turn the corner. "Oh, crap." he said, hopping after her as fast as he could.

Kurenai was careful with her footsteps as she walked around, looking for the kitchen. It was so large here that it was a small wonder she hadn't gotten lost yet.

"Come along, Hanataro, into the cupboard." Miss Unohana insisted. The teacup gave a large yawn before he protested to his mother-figure.

"But I'm not sleepy, Miss Unohana."

"Yes you are." she replied with a knowing smile.

"No I'm… not…" After a moment, Hanataro slumped in his sleep as she closed the glass-paned cabinet. Her smile broke as she heard the chef- a large oven- slamming pots and pans around in protest to the night's events.

"I work and slave all day long for what?" he exclaimed. "Look at this! This entire masterpiece of a recipe has gone to waste!"

"Please, Tessai," Unohana pleaded gently, "don't complain. It's been a very long night for all of us."

"She _was_ being rather stubborn." Toshiro said with a vein of annoyance throbbing along the side of his temple. "After all, the master _did_ say 'please'."

Unohana closed her eyes. "Yes, he did Toshiro," she said, "but the master also needs to learn to control that temper of his, or he will never break this sp-."

"Splendid to see you up and about, my lady." Toshiro interrupted upon seeing Kurenai enter the kitchen. Before he continued, he shot Unohana a poisonous glare. "I am Toshiro Hitsugaya, head of this household." He reached up to shake her hand, but before he could even have the chance, Shunsui was there in a flash, holding it. "This is Shunsui Kyoraku." he said in annoyed tone.

"Enchanted, I assure you, miss." the candelabra said, flashing her a grin.

"If there's… stop that!" Toshiro interjected, trying to push past Shunsui, who blocked Toshiro by bending forward to kiss Kurenai's hand. "If there's anything we can do… Please!" he said, finally pushing past Shunsui and shoving him back, "to make your stay more comfortable… Ow!" he cried out as Shunsui held his burning hand to Toshiro's.

Kurenai pressed a hand to her grumbling stomach. "I _am_ a little hungry." she said with a blush across her face.

"You are?" Unohana asked, her smile widening. "very well. Stoke up the fire," Tessai was already way ahead of her on that one, "break out the silver, wake the china."

"Remember what the master _said_." Toshiro said between his teeth.

"Oh nonsense," Unohana pooh-poohed, "I'm not about to let the poor dear go hungry."

"Fine, onigiri and a glass of water and that's it!" Toshiro snapped.

"She's not a prisoner, Toshiro-san." Shunsui corrected. "She's our guest. It's part of our job to make her feel welcome here. Right this way, miss." he motioned for her to follow him into the immense dining room.

"Well, if _you're_ going to let her eat, then keep it down. If the master finds out, it'll be our necks."

"Naturally." Shunsui said.

Before her very eyes, an immense banquet was laid out for Kurenai along the long table. Never before had she seen so many wonderful things to eat. She felt bad that she was being waited on, but the servants did converse with her as they attended to her. They were splendid, making sure that she was enjoying the food and asking her if there was anything she would like to have. Kurenai had a little bit of her favorite foods here and there. Even some of the stuff she wasn't sure about, she gave a try. Looking at one strange dish, she took a bite. The servants watched her, and to their delight, they found that she loved it.

"It's wonderful." she gushed, taking another bite. Miss Unohana poured her a cup of tea, to which she smiled.

"It feels nice to be moving about and keeping things clean in the kitchen again." Unohana said. "I do like to keep the company- however little we have, that is- impressed."

"We're very honored to have you here, Kurenai-chan." Shunsui said. Unohana nodded in agreement. "I always think that dinner's a little less gloomy of an event when you have your flatware dancing in front of you, don't you agree?" he asked, causing her to giggle. "What's more, we've needed this chance to put our skills to the test. We haven't had company here in about ten years."

"That long?" Kurenai asked.

"Yeah." Shunsui replied with a nod. "After a while, ya start to get rusty, literally and figuratively, so to you, we owe a debt of gratitude." Kurenai smiled in spite of herself.

When dinner was done, the entire company cleared the table. Plates and cups and silverware were carted off to the kitchen to be washed. Washrags were used to wipe off the surface of the table.

"That was _amazing_." she said gratefully.

"Thank you." Toshiro said. Immediately knowing the time, he looked at her. "It's late, my lady. You should go off to bed." he ushered.

Kurenai looked around. "How can I just… go to sleep right now?" she protested. "I'm too excited. It _is_ after all my first time being in such an enchanted place."

"Enchanted?" Toshiro asked nervously- although he tried not to show it. "Who told you this place was enchanted?" He turned angrily to Shunsui. "It was you, wasn't it?" he growled.

"Actually, Hitsugaya-san, I figured it out for myself a little bit ago." Toshiro and Shunsui broke up from their argument, which at the moment involved Toshiro grabbing onto Shunsui's nose, and looked at the girl. "If it's not too much trouble or anything like that, I would love to look around. Is that okay?"

"We'd be happy to give you a tour." Shunsui offered, giving her a polite bow.

"Shunsui, I really don't think that's the best idea." Toshiro insisted. "We don't want her going to places that she's not supposed to, if you know what I mean."

"Well then, why don't _you_ give me the tour, Hitsugaya-san?" she asked, poking him in the abdomen. "I'm sure you know everything there is to know about this castle."

"Well, actually…" he began bashfully. She found it to be quite adorable. Toshiro rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I guess I do…"

So it was settled. The three took off down a corridor that Kurenai had never seen before. The shiny suits of armor that stood at attention along the aisle all turned their helmets as Kurenai passed. She tried to listen as attentively as she possibly could as Toshiro spouted what he knew about the castle. It wasn't that what he said wasn't interesting, but she had so many question flitting through her head, and so few people who would actually give her straight answers. Everytime she asked someone something about this castle, the servant would dodge the question, most often by changing the subject. Something was going on, and Kurenai was determined to find out what. As Toshiro's attention was drawn to ordering the suits of armor back to their original position, her attention was drawn to a set of stairs that went up to some unknown part of the castle. She was about to venture them when Shunsui and Toshiro raced ahead of her and blocked her path.

"What's up there?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, up there?" Toshiro asked casually, "Absolutely nothing. Nothing of interest in the West Wing. Very dusty; dull even." he said while elbowing Shunsui, who nodded in agreement at his side.

"Oh, so _that's_ the West Wing?" she asked.

"Way to go, Hitsugaya." Shunsui said. Toshiro winced at his mistake. Kurenai leaned over, attempting to peer at whatever was up those stairs.

"I wonder what he's hiding up there…" she said.

"Why would the master hide anything?" Shunsui asked, attempting to get her with logic.

"Then it wouldn't be forbidden." she said. He inwardly cursed his bad luck with logic, but only just before he caught her attempting to go up the stairs once more. Kurenai's curiosity had been piqued. There was no stopping her now. The two once more reappeared in front of her.

"Perhaps," Toshiro offered desperately. He racked his mind for something, anything. "Perhaps, my lady, you would like to see something else? We have wondrous tapestries dating back to the…" His sentence dropped as he noticed her stepping over him.

"Maybe later." she replied. These two would not, however, give up without a fight. She sighed; there had to be a way to shake them, somehow.

"Maybe the gardens… or perhaps the library would interest you." Shunsui suggested. Kurenai's eyes widened and they seemed to light up with interest.

"You have a library?" she asked, leaning down to him.

"Indeed, we do." Toshiro said, feeling slightly relieved now.

"With tons of books!" Shunsui added in.

"Mountains- no- forests of books- more books than you will ever be able to read in a lifetime…"

Kurenai was about to follow, having finally found something that really made her feel better in this place. The offer to see the library and delve into a book was tempting, but the idea of finally seeing the West Wing and knowing Kazeshini's secret was even more so. She waited until her escorts were gone before she headed up the stairs. Her heart beat in trepidation at the idea that she could get caught, even more so as she explored the hall. The sparse candlelight cast eerie shadows on everything it touched. Grotesque, broken statues lined the hall, casting more shadows. Lining the walls of this dark hallway were mirrors- shattered mirrors with shards littering the floor beneath. All in all, the atmosphere was very creepy. It filled Kurenai with fear at the idea that he could be watching within the shadows of the hallway, and she wouldn't even notice.

She reached the double doors at the end of the hall. The handle of these doors made some grotesquely monstrous face. She reached out for it, but then pulled back and looked around. Her eyes focused, trying to sense any movement or those turquoise eyes within the shadows. The hall was deadly silent, but her heart drummed in her ears. She thought of what horrors awaited her, or the anger that she would have to face if he found her there. Her lips tightened against each other in her determination; she had come this far. She wasn't turning around now; she couldn't. The curiosity was weighing at her subconscious. She yanked open the door.

The room she had entered was gloomy. Everything was cast in shadows and everywhere she looked there was broken furniture and tattered fabric. Luckily for her, her reactions were quick; as she nearly knocked over a table, she caught it just in time and set it right. She wove carefully amongst the rubble and looked around. In her poor vision, due to the darkness, she was able to determine that a large heap of splintered wood and tattered fabrics might have at one point been a bed. She gasped as something else caught her attention: a painting that was very nearly torn to shreds. Carefully, she lifted a flap of it to hopefully make better sense of it. She could see that it was someone, but with such insufficient light, she couldn't see whom. Out of the corner of her eye, she then saw something that drew her away from the painting.

As she neared the small table, she discovered that the object was a black rose that mysteriously floated in midair beneath a glass bell jar. It was just a simple flower, but still Kurenai found something mesmerizing about it. Was it magic? Did it have some sort of power that she didn't know about? What was with the petals beneath it? Longing to touch it, she lifted the glass off and reached for it. In her distraction, she failed to notice the shadow that loomed over her. One second was all it took for her to look up and gasp. She was looking directly into Kazeshini's pupiless, turquoise eyes. The initial look he gave her was one of surprise- surprise that she was in his room, surprise that she was about to touch his most prized possession- and then his features quickly twisted to those of rage. He lunged like a mountain lion towards the table and quickly pulled the glass back over the rose. He stared at it for a moment and then looked at her with a low growl. Knowing she was in trouble, she backed away carefully.

"Why did you come here?" he asked angrily, his voice shaking with anger.

"I-I'm sorry." she breathed.

"I told you to stay away from here!" His voice rose a few octaves. In her fear, she backed away a little further.

"I didn't mean any harm." she insisted.

"Do you realize what you could have DONE?" In his anger, he swung an arm, hurling a piece of furniture against the wall. Kurenai, now truly terrified, backed against a wardrobe in response to the resounding crash.

"Please," she pleaded, voice trembling, "stop!" Her heart pounded in her chest from her fright.

"Get out!" he shouted. She moved, nearly tripping over herself as she ran, barely missing his hand as he swiped at the furniture, reducing it to nothing more but splinters. "GET OUT!" he roared at the top of his lungs. Kurenai didn't have to be told twice. She fled from the room as fast as her legs could carry her. Kazeshini watched her leave, his anger subsiding.

_'What have I done?'_ he asked.

_**'Gotten rid of a nuisance, that's what. That little brat should've known better than to stick her nose into our business. No better than that nosy brother of hers.'**_

_'She didn't know!' _he replied testily. _'I may have frightened away my only chance at getting my life back.' _He covered his face with a hand.

_**'You have to ask yourself, though, is it worth it, your Highness?'**_

_'Everyone deserves a second chance. I'm going after her whether you want to or not.'_

_**'What about the seal?' **_

_'It was about time to break it, anyway. I want my body back, and I won't let you keep me from it.'_

Outside, loud howls could be heard. There was a long period of silence before he felt the demon smile within him.

_**'As you wish, your Highness.'**_

__'Just please don't let me be too late…' __he thought with worry, grabbing his twin blades off of their place at the wall.

Shunsui and Toshiro, who had been sulking about their last hope literally running out the door, were immediately startled as they heard the clanking of chains. Both watched in surprise and awe as Kazeshini rushed past them stopping only at the door and lifted his hand. The doors glowed red and slowly began to open. In the blink of an eye, Kazeshini was gone, merely a black speck on the white horizon of the blizzard.

_**'What're you gonna do if you can't get to her in time?' **_

_'I'm not even going to think about that.' _he retorted.

**_'Come on, prince; humor me.' _**it replied.

Kazeshini decided to pick up the pace. _'If I can't save her, and help her to love me, then, and only then will I truly give up on life. Without hope, there's nothing left.'__  
><em>

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><p>Okay, my dear readers, more to come, I promise. I also apologize for not writing out 'Be Our Guest'; I just honestly didn't have the patience to sit there and type all that out, but I made sure to get the main point of the song down. Until next time, I bid you all <em>adieu<em>.


	5. Chapter 5: Rescue and a Plot Unfolding

Hello, my wonderful readers! I have another chapter up and ready for you. I apologize for its shortness. I want to have every chapter containing just enough.

**Disclaimer: All I own is Kurenai. 'Beauty and the Beast' belongs to Disney and Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo.**

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><p>Kurenai raced down the stairs, Kazeshini's words still ringing in her ears. She grabbed her cloak and raced to the front door. Shunsui and Toshiro watched at the bottom of this stairs, both with horrified looks on their faces.<p>

"Where are you going?" Shunsui asked.

"Promise or no promise, I can't stay here another minute!" she cried as she yanked the door open and rushed out into the cold. The howling winds drowned out their pleas for her to stay, and when she closed the door, she left them and their hopes in the shadows.

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><p>The winds were horrific with their howling, billowing abound her and Mercury as she skillfully guided him through the woods. The chill was awful, and she had to squint to see through the heavily falling snow, see where she was going. They were not even fifteen minutes from the castle when she had to calm Mercury, who reared in his uneasiness. She thought she had finally settled him down when she heard loud, high-pitched growls and froze in fear. Renji had told her about the monsters that resided within these woods, Hollows- evil souls that fed on the souls of others- that took many different shapes and forms. The pack that surrounded her took the forms of wolves; they looked like they were meant for running. Red eyes gleamed from the holes in the skull-like masks that adorned their heads, straight at her. Their black bodies crouched low, ready for the chase. All she could do was try to outrun them. It was her only hope; she had to <em>try<em>. Her lips tightened in their determination and her hands tightened on the reigns. With a gentle kick, she turned Mercury back towards the castle; they took off at full speed. The Hollows were hot on her tail. As they raced along, they moved like a real wolf-pack, attempting to get ahead of her and overcome Mercury. Kurenai smiled confidently, sashaying side to side. As one of the 'wolves' gained on her, she skillfully managed to move Mercury over so that the Hollow was fooled into pursuing the horse until it raced head-first into a tree. She turned and found that the pack was still obstinately chasing her, and goaded Mercury into picking up the pace.

They entered a giant open area, which Kurenai didn't realize was a frozen pond that had been covered with snow until she and Mercury fell through. The two struggled to swim away from the Hollows, who also fell through. Some fell into the water and drowned, but Kurenai turned and saw that they were still on her tail. She kept pushing Mercury until he managed to pull himself out of the pond. The two raced on, further into the woods.

Just when they thought, though, that they were free, Kurenai and Mercury once more found themselves surrounded by the Hollows. In his terror, the horse reared back. Kurenai gave a cry as she tumbled off into the snow. The Hollows swarmed around them and then attempted to pin him down before Kurenai knocked one who got too close away, brandishing a stick. Renji, when they were younger, had taught her how to wield a sword. She was outnumbered, the odds against her were not good, and this definitely wasn't a sword, but it would have to do. With a fell swing, she whacked the alpha male across the head, rendering him unconscious. Another, however, managed to take a hold of the stick in his mouth and bit it, reducing it to nothing but splinters, much to Kurenai's terror. Another stepped on her cloak and pinned her down by her cloak.

Kurenai covered her face in terror for the oncoming attack, but immediately became confused when it didn't occur. Looking up, she saw Kazeshini holding the Hollow by the scruff of its neck. It grimaced at the creature, fangs bared.

"She's mine!" he growled in its face. With a simple swipe of his arm, the Hollow went flying back. "Who's next?" he asked, skillfully whirling around the scythes. Sensing a challenge, the wolves lunged at him. He crouched low and then rushed in. Kurenai watched in a mixture of fascination, shock, and horror as he cut through the pack like it was nothing. He was relentless and savage with his strikes, swinging the scythe with precision so that it lodged into the head of one of the Hollows. Unfortunately, Kazeshini was so busy that he didn't notice that his weakest flank- Kurenai- had been left unprotected. Just as a Hollow was about to attack her, he moved in front of it, covering her with his back facing the enemy. Suddenly he felt the Hollow's razor sharp teeth clench deep into his shoulder. He cried out in pain, but he did not let this pain falter his need to protect Kurenai. Taking the creature by the scruff of the neck, he threw it so that its back hit a nearby tree.

The Hollows, sensing that their prey would not be relinquished by this strange, black skinned creature, withdrew, disappearing into the woods. Kazeshini stood there, bleeding in the cold, for a moment before turning to look at Kurenai. The look in his eyes didn't indicate any anger, but rather relief. In truth, he _was _relieved, that she was safe and unharmed. "Don't be… afraid… Kurenai…" he panted. Then he fell to the ground, unconscious. She turned away, looking onto the path forward. She was almost tempted to carry onward, but then she looked back at Kazeshini, who lay bleeding in the snow. She could see the blood forming a stain in the white material. Her eyes lowered. 'I can't leave him here to die,' she thought, 'not after he saved me like that.' She rushed over to him, checking on him; there was a nasty bite mark on his shoulder and a scratch across his forearm. In addition, there were three lines down the side of his face, from where a Hollow had gotten him.

"I did this," she said to herself. "If I hadn't gone into that stupid room…" She took off her cloak and put it around his shoulders. "It's my turn to take care of you." She pulled one of his arms around her shoulders and hoisted him up. The biting cold was getting to her, but she bit her lip and led him over to Mercury. The horse obediently knelt down so that Kurenai could lay Kazeshini across his back face down. When Mercury stood, Kurenai took the reins and began the long and arduous task of leading them both back to the castle.

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><p>It was some time before he regained consciousness again, but when he did, he was back to his old angry self in record time. He sat in his chair with a towel over the bite marks. Kurenai knelt at his feet; neither of them said a word. She watched as Miss Unohana poured hot water into a basin at his feet and then dipped a towel into it. After squeezing all of the excess water out, she leaned in to first take care of the scratches on his arm. He looked away and found beads of blood blooming on his forearm. He ran his tongue along it.<p>

"Oh don't do that…" Kurenai said gently, putting a hand on his wrist. With a growl, he pulled his arm away. She paused, closing her eyes in annoyance. The others, afraid that someone would get broken should he become too angry, backed away wordlessly. She blew a stray strand of hair away from her face, and then returned to what she was doing. She reached for his arm, but he pulled away once more. Immediately, he reminded her of a child who didn't want their parent taking care of a cut, just on a larger scale. "Just hold still…" she said, finally catching him by the arm. He roared out in his pain as she pressed the towel to his forearm. The servants disappeared completely.

"That hurts!" he hollered in her face.

"Well here's a new concept: hold still and it won't hurt as much!" she yelled back.

"If you hadn't have run away, this wouldn't have happened!" he said.

"If you wouldn't have frightened me, I wouldn't have run away!" she retorted angrily. He took a few moments to think of a very good retort, and he smiled to himself as he said it.

"Well _you _shouldn't have been in the West Wing." See her try to top that one.

"Well _you_ should learn to _control your temper_." she answered testily.

He stopped silent at that one. How many times did that make it in the last day or so that people had told him that?

_'I'm surprised,' _he admitted to the demon, _'that you haven't taken over to put in your two cents.'_

_**'Problem with that being, Your Highness, is that **__**you**__**, in your stubbornness to help this girl, have already broken part of this spell.'**_

_'What?'_

_**'That hag's orders were that when you risked your life for another, I was to relinquish all control back to you. Now I can only live in **__**this**__**consciousness.'**_

He couldn't believe the fortuitous circumstances. Half of the prerequisites the Enchantress had given him had been achieved already? That was incredible! He looked at Kurenai, who glared determinedly at him. He remembered that he was annoyed with her, but once more, his heart began to hope. Kurenai sighed, bringing him back to reality.

"Now hold still," she said in a much gentler tone, "this may sting a little."

He prepped himself for the pain, turning away and gritting his teeth. A thought came to Kurenai's head, something that might distract him from his 'pain'. She looked up at him.

"By the way, thank you," she said, "for saving my life." He looked at her and noticed the slightly cute blush across her face as she gently wiped at the scratches. It didn't hurt at all; in fact, feeling her gentle hands as she held his arm in place and wiped it gently felt really nice. The scratches along his face came next; she told him he was lucky that the Hollow didn't claw his eye out. He believed it, although he was much more distracted by the feel of her hand along his cheek as she held his face in place. Finally came his shoulder; she had him lean forward in the chair for this part. Gently did she wipe at the juncture points embedded in his skin. He winced a little, as those were the most painful of his wounds. That Hollow had struck true when it bit him.

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><p>When his wounds were clean, she took a strip of bandage and placed it on the scratches on his arm. A small, cloth strip went over the scratches on his face, and then she cut a long strip of cloth and wound it around his waist and shoulder. She did this all without another word, and when she went to clean the basin out, he finally spoke.<p>

"You're welcome."

Back in the village, the townsfolk had cleared for the night, as Omaeda had hoped. He and Rin sat across from their visitor- one that they had summoned for a _very_ specific purpose- at a corner table.

"I don't usually leave my asylum in the middle of the night," the visitor's wheezy voice began, "But I was under the impression that you would make it worth my while." Omaeda answered this by tossing a bag of coins to the visitor, who responded by taking a gold piece and examining it with one orange eye. Rin was about to say something about how creepy this guy was when Omaeda silenced him with a subtle, yet firm elbow to his ribs. "You now have my undivided attention, gentlemen."

Omaeda smiled. "It's like this: I've totally got my heart set on making Kurenai my wife. Problem is, she needs a little… persuasion."

Rin laughed at this. "Yeah, turned him down flat." To this, Omaeda nearly hit the smaller male unconscious.

"Everyone knows her brother is a lunatic." he snarled. "He was in here tonight, raving about a demon in a castle."

"Abarai is harmless." Kurotsuchi answered.

"The _point_ is Kurenai would do _anything_ to keep him from being locked up."

Rin pulled himself up onto the table and grinned. "Yeah, even if that meant marrying you, Omaeda." Omaeda threatened to hit Rin again, but the latter shrunk under the table before any damage could be done.

"So you want me to throw her brother into the asylum… unless she agrees to marry you…" Kurotsuchi concluded. Omaeda nodded; his visitor was silent in his deliberation. "That is the most low-down, despicable thing I have ever heard. I love it; count me in."

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><p>"That's it, Kenpachi." Renji said as he packed maps of the area into his pack. "If no one will help me, then I'll go back alone. I don't care what it takes. I'm going into that castle and getting her out if it's the last thing I do!" He made for the door, but Kenpachi stood in front of him. "Outta my way." he said. He moved the dog aside, despite its growls and made his way outside. With a shake of his head, Kenpachi followed. He wasn't about to let his master get hurt.<p>

What they didn't know is that the asylum cart had been coming their way. Had they stayed there for a few more moments, Omaeda's plan would have started and Renji would have been snared by Kurotsuchi's men. Omaeda, hoping to get the jump on them, walked into the house.

"Kurenai! Renji!" he called. There was no answer; the house was empty, deserted.

"Oh well." Rin said with a shrug. "I guess this isn't gonna work after all." In his heart, he was relieved. This girl was proving to be much more trouble than Omaeda valued her to be. He was prepped to walk away, but Omaeda grabbed him by the front of his jacket as he headed out.

"They have to come back _sometime_… and when they do, we'll be ready for them." he said with determination. "Rin," he began. He shoved the smaller man into a snowdrift close to the Abarai sibling's house. "Don't _move _from this spot until Kurenai and her brother come home." Omaeda had already taken off by the time Rin was able to get himself out of the snowdrift. Rin wanted to object, but he could tell that it was a moot point. "Aw nuts!" he said, hitting the side of the house. He felt the cold of the snow pile on top of him before he knew what had happened.

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><p>Okay, my wonderful readers! That's the end of that chapter. I'll have more up soon. Until then, as I always say, I bid you <em>adieu<em>.


	6. Chapter 6: Bonding and Dancing

Hello, my awesome readers! Couldn't resist putting in another chapter. Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: Again, all I own is Kurenai. 'Beauty and the Beast' belongs to Disney and Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo.**

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><p>Kurenai walked out into the fresh morning air, with Mercury a step or two behind her. She was still tired and a little guilty about what had happened the night before. In addition, she wondered how Renji was doing. If she were there now, she would probably be helping him out with a new idea, with Kenpachi sleeping near the hearth as always. She missed her faithful dog so much. Mercury, sensing his mistress' homesickness, tapped her in the back with his nose. She smiled at the horse and gently pet him down the front of his head. The little footstool yipped and jumped around underfoot, jumping into a snow bank before running to jump into Kurenai's arms. Kurenai laughed at the little 'dog's' antics.<p>

Unbeknownst to her, Kazeshini, Shunsui and Toshiro were watching from a high balcony. It was the first time he had seen her smile in the short time she had been here. Now that he was free of the demon's control, he would try to make her smile more. He looked down at the bindings Kurenai had done on his arm. "I've never felt this way about anyone." he said softly. "I want to do something for her…" He paused. "But… what?"

Toshiro cleared his throat. "Well, there are the typical things: flowers, chocolates, promises _you_ can't ever hope to keep."

"No, no, Toshiro." Shunsui chided. "It has to be something very special." He paused for a moment, and then a thought came to his head. He remembered how excited Kurenai had gotten when she heard that they had a library. "I think I know just the thing."

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><p>Later that day, Kazeshini led Kurenai down one of the many halls of the castle. He just hoped that Shunsui was right. It had been forever since he had been down this way himself.<p>

"Where are we going?" she asked curiously. He was relieved that he no longer heard the tremors in her voice, indicating that she was no longer frightened of him. In fact, when he came to get her, she seemed incredibly bored. When she saw him, her eyes seemed to light up immediately.

"There was something I wanted to show you." he answered honestly. They finally arrived at a set of doors at the end of the hall. He opened them minutely, just to make sure he had the right room, but then he closed them again. "First, though, you have to close your eyes." Kurenai gave him a look. Kazeshini smiled back at her. "I don't want to ruin your surprise." She shook her head at him and then with a playful smile closed her eyes. Kazeshini waved his hands in front of her face, just to make sure she wasn't peeking and then opened the doors wide. Grasping both of her hands, he led her in very carefully.

"Can I open them?" she asked. Whatever room they had entered was enormous; she could hear her echo all around her.

"Not yet." he responded gently. Silently, he reveled in the feel of her hands within his. They were indeed tiny, like the rest of her, and so soft. When he finally pulled her to the center of the room, right where he wanted her, he hesitantly let go. "Wait here." he said. Walking over, he threw open the curtains. Kurenai's smile widened as the warmth of the sunlight hit her face. The shadows were gone from behind her eyelids.

"_Now_ can I open them?" she asked. Suddenly, she felt his presence directly next to her. He leaned in right next to her.

"Now," he answered in a whisper.

Kurenai opened her eyes and took in a breath as she looked around. The room Kazeshini had taken her to was a vast library, with shelves that went from ceiling to floor. Shunsui and Toshiro weren't lying when they said they had more books than she could imagine. A small squeal escaped her lips as she looked around. He felt a small shred of hope as he saw the huge smile plastered on her face.

"This is… incredible! I've never seen so many books in my entire life." she said.

"So… so you really like it?" he asked, hopeful.

"This is wonderful!" she said.

"Then it's yours." he said.

Turning to him, she absently hugged him around his waist. He wasn't sure as to how to react to that. If he could have blushed, then he would have, but at least she was happy. "Thank you." she said enthusiastically.

The servants watched from the door. Relief seemed to fill their hearts, too.

"Would you look at that?" Miss Unohana asked. Shunsui smirked.

"I knew it would work." he said proudly.

"Knew what would work?" Hanataro asked naively. He looked to all of the grown-ups. "I don't understand."

"It's at least encouraging." Toshiro said with a light smile. He and Shunsui took off.

"I didn't see anything." Hanataro said. He was stopped from looking into the library as Miss Unohana ushered him along. "But… Miss Unohana," he cried.

"Come along, Hanataro." she said, pushing him down the hall. "We have chores to do in the kitchen."

"B-But what were they talking about Miss Unohana? What's going on?" Hanataro asked. The teapot shook her head at the teacup's naïveté.

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><p>Breakfast the next morning turned out to be quite interesting. Kurenai looked at Kazeshini as he attempted to wolf down his food. In all these years, he hadn't had anyone to teach him proper table manners, but immediately, he felt embarrassed about doing that in front of Kurenai. Hanataro pushed a spoon in his direction, and Kazeshini winced, but reached for it anyway. Kurenai watched, her heart lightened as he <em>attempted<em> to eat- clumsily so- with the spoon. The teacup started to giggle, but was immediately silenced by a look from Miss Unohana. Kurenai then thought of a way to make him feel more comfortable with table manners and lifted her bowl carefully off of the table. She gave him a look of encouragement, and he proceeded to follow suit as both sipped from their bowls.

Afterward, the two of them decided to walk along the courtyard. Kurenai had with her a bag full of crumbs to feed the birds. He followed her tentatively, having a feeling that his appearance would scare the birds away. He hesitated when she gave him the crumbs, but decided that he would try anyway. She watched as he tried to feed them, and it was then that she noticed something. When they first met, he was forceful and mean, but now, he seemed to have this vulnerability about him. She smiled as she watched him try to force the birds to eat from his hands. Everytime he neared them, they flew away. She shook her head and went to his side. Kazeshini watched as she took some of the crumbs from his hands and laid them out in the snow in front of him. To his amazement, a small bird landed before him, following the trail of crumbs into his waiting hand to eat. He looked to Kurenai, who smiled at him.

'_**She likes you, your Highness.' **_the demon said.

'_No, she doesn't.' _he answered. _'She merely wants to be friends.' _

'_**Wrong. Notice how she touched you. She didn't back away, she didn't shudder. She likes you.'**_

'_I can't get my hopes up, so for now, I refuse to believe it.' _he replied as he saw her disappear behind a tree.

'_**Well here's a way to look at it: has she ever looked at you like that before?'**_ it asked. He pondered those words carefully.

Kurenai, in the meantime, pondered what it was she was feeling for him. How could this be? She smiled to herself as she peeked back around the tree to see Kazeshini covered in birds. Sure, he wasn't a 'Prince Charming', and he probably knew it, but maybe… just maybe… She giggled lightly as he became the unlucky recipient of one of her flying snowballs. The birds scattered and Kazeshini gave her a look before scooping up one monster of a snowball to throw at her. The servants once more watched from the window as she rendered his giant snowball useless with one of her own, causing it instead to land on his head.

"Bless my soul," Miss Unohana said breathily.

"Who would've thought?" Toshiro asked.

"It seems all they needed was a little push to get things going." Shunsui said.

They watched from the library doors as Kurenai settled down by the fireplace with a book. Kazeshini settled next to her, listening to her read. It had soon become one of his favorite things. Kurenai had read some fantastic books, her gentle voice always keeping the mood of the story light. He listened with gusto as she read about pirates and fairies and ghosts and ancient heroes, and his mind tended to wander to these far off places whenever she read. Yet when she finished a story, he would always delight in coming back to reality, especially if that meant he came back to her smiling face.

"Well maybe a couple more days and they'll realize it themselves." Toshiro said.

"What?" Hanataro asked.

"Something that wasn't there before." Shunsui said with a wide, hopeful grin.

"I don't get it!" Hanataro said. He turned to his mother figure. "What's there, Miss Unohana?"

The mentioned teapot giggled and then looked at her adopted child. "Oh Hanataro," she said. "I'll tell you when you're older."

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><p>Kazeshini didn't know why he had agreed to this. When he had told Kurenai he couldn't dance very well, she offered to teach him, and then she came up with her 'brilliant' idea. "Why don't we make it into a party?" she asked.<p>

"What?" he asked. Last he checked, parties usually consisted of more than just two people and a bunch of magical objects. "Why?"

"Because it could be fun." she answered. "Do you need more reason than that?"

He hesitated, but there was no way that he could resist that look on her face so he obligingly agreed.

So now here he was, having water dumped on him. The coat rack scrubbed and scrubbed at his skin and he had to shout at it to watch his wounds.

"Tonight's the night." Shunsui said. He and the other servants had gotten together and cleaned the castle top to bottom. He was tired, yet at the same time excited to see the outcome of this evening.

"I don't think I can do this." Kazeshini replied nervously.

"You can't be getting cold feet now, Master." Shunsui replied. He looked over to the rose. The enchanted flower had already lost so many petals and was sadly sagging to one side. "You've gotta be bold, daring." Kazeshini sighed.

"Yeah, bold and daring coming right up, Shunsui." he said. He lifted himself out of the tub and shook off the excess water.

'_**I could've done bold and daring.' **_the demon grumbled. He laughed inwardly.

'_I don't think Shunsui means 'frightening.'' _he countered. In the back of his mind, he felt the demon sulk.

Shunsui didn't let the water that splashed onto him discourage him. He smiled at his master. "You'll have a great time." he insisted. "There'll be music, romantic candlelight- provided by myself, of course- and just at that right moment, you confess your love to her."

"Yeah," Kazeshini responded, trying to remain confident. "I'll… confess…" Looking at himself in a mirror, something he had refused to do for a long while, he clenched his teeth and his fists. "I can't…"

"You care about her, don't you?" Shunsui asked. His master looked at him.

"More than anything." Kazeshini replied determinedly. Shunsui smiled at his master.

"Good to have you back, sir." he said.

'_**How in the hell?'**_the demon asked. _**'Isn't there a way to shut him up?'**_

'_He's just excited.' _he replied in his head. _'I see nothing wrong with that.'_

'_**It's annoying. Just tell him to be quiet, simple as that.'**_

'_Lest we forgot, it was my poor treatment of the servants that got me into this mess. I'm not about to make a repeat offense. I'm not going to ruin his fun.'_

"Well then tell her, tonight." Shunsui said with a sigh.

"I'll… try, Shunsui." Kazeshini replied with a small smile. The two looked to the door as Toshiro entered. For once, he had a large grin on his face. "Your lady awaits, Master."

Kurenai walked down the stairs to the grand hall carefully, holding up the skirt of her full-length, golden gown so as not to trip. She wasn't sure if it was the way she seemed to float in this dress or the way it fit her like a glove that she loved about it. It definitely complimented the golden tone of her hair, which had been done by a set of enchanted hair combs and brushes that waited at the vanity in her room. They had seen her hair and with gusto set straight to work. Her bangs had been pulled back and braided so as to form a crown around her head. The rest had been treated to delicately curl and cascade down her back. She looked like a delicate flower, bloomed to perfection. To Kazeshini, she looked like an angel. He swallowed, but Shunsui was not going to let him hesitate. With a wave of his arm, he ushered his young charge down the stairs.

At the foot of the stairs, Miss Unohana and Hanataro watched from their teacart. She watched as Kazeshini carefully went down the stairs and met her in the middle. Kurenai smiled at him warmly. He returned it with a slight smile of his own, although his heart was beating rapidly; he wondered if she could tell.

Miss Unohana looked proudly onto her young charge as he held his head high, like the prince she knew him to be.

_Tale as old as time,_

_True as it can be…_

_Barely even friends, _

_Then somebody bends, unexpectedly_

Remembering the proper etiquette that Toshiro had pounded into his head, he stepped back to give her a polite bow. She returned it with an equally polite curtsey. Encouraged, he offered his arm and led her down the stairs. He paused momentarily as the 'dog' wandered down the stairs underfoot. Once it had passed, the two of them continued on.

They were soon seated at a table together. Kurenai and Kazeshini ate in comfortable silence. He attempted to use his best table manners in order to impress her, and when Shunsui looked over at her, she was smiling, appearing to have a good time. That was a very good sign.

_Just a little change,_

_Small, to say the least,_

_Both a little scared,_

Kurenai was very eager to dance, and when she got up, took hold of his hands and pulled him from his seat, he was a little surprised, but he obliged her. The two of them went to the massive ballroom. Kurenai looked in awe at this room. She had never seen a more beautiful space in her life. There was plenty of room for dancing, and the night sky looked clear and beautiful through the wall of windows. Overhead, a large chandelier hung, its multitude of candles burning bright, reflecting the mural of baby angels on the ceiling.

_Neither one prepared,_

_Beauty and the Beast_

Kurenai led him to the center of the dance floor and then turned to him and proceeded to take one hand in her own. At this, Kazeshini grew nervous and swallowed in his uneasiness, which was made even more so when she guided his other hand to her waist. Kurenai smiled at him as if to tell him that it was alright. Taking this as encouragement, he took a deep breath and awkwardly began to lead.

_Ever just the same,_

_Ever a surprise_

After her careful guidance, he finally began to lead confidently. Kurenai's approving smile told him he was doing just fine. He smiled inwardly; she was a beautiful angel, exuding confidence and kindness to a demon like him. Feeling her slim waist in his hand, her small frame holding onto him for leadership and trust, it felt right. If he had it his way, he wouldn't let her go. Toshiro and Shunsui smiled at each other at the noticeable change in their master. Watching them dance together was almost hypnotizing. Even the baby angels of the mural above almost seemed to gather to watch them dance.

_Ever as before,_

_Ever just as sure_

_As the sun will rise…_

_Tale as old as time,_

_Tune as old as song…_

_Bittersweet and strange, _

_Finding you can change,_

_Learning you were wrong…_

Kazeshini, feeling much more confident with his moves, allowed Kurenai to spin out of his arms for a moment before pulling her back into them. She gave a light giggle at this. He loved seeing her look so happy. For him it was a lovely thing. The two moved together, almost in perfect synchronization with one another. Kurenai was absolutely ecstatic, having not had this much fun in a long time. Perfectly contented, she leaned her head in so that it rested against Kazeshini's chest. He didn't know what to say to this, but he looked at Toshiro and Shunsui and found them smiling and giving him a 'thumbs-up', which he took to be a good thing.

_Certain as the sun,_

_Rising in the east,_

_Tale as old as time,_

_Song as old as rhyme,_

_Beauty and the Beast…_

Shunsui had his fellow candlesticks and the chandelier dim their lights, so the two were left finishing their dance in the light of the moon and the stars outside. Hanataro leaned against Miss Unohana as if to hug her as the two finally finished and walked arm-in-arm toward the balcony.

_Tale as old as time,_

_Song as old as rhyme,_

_Beauty and the Beast_

She turned to Hanataro and noticed him yawning. She smiled. "You should get back to the cupboard, Hanataro. It's well-past your bedtime." Hanataro yawned once more, but nodded without argument. Miss Unohana kissed him on the porcelain cheek. "Goodnight, my dear." she said as he hopped off of the cart. One of the fancy curlicues of the cart unfurled to provide the teacup with a bit of a slide on his way down. He didn't get very far before he turned and watched his master and Kurenai exit back out onto the balcony.

* * *

><p>Ta-da! There's the famous ballroom scene. I couldn't wait to get that part written. I had something very specific in mind, too, for Kurenai's dress. Possibly the only real thing it has in common with Belle's dress is that cold color. The style I had in mind was something like Bella's wedding dress in that color- modest cut, long sleeves, more of an A-line skirt, with a little bit of back showing, not that anyone could see it with Kurenai's long hair... but anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this segment. More to come soon, I promise! Until then, my dear readers, I bid you <em>adieu<em>.


	7. Chapter 7: Heartbreak and Fighting

Hello, my readers. Hope you enjoyed the last chapter. Here's another one for you. I had trouble uploading this, so I'm going to try again and _hope_ this works.

**Disclaimer: All I really own is Kurenai. 'Beauty and the Beast' belongs to Disney and Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo.**

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><p>A myriad of stars twinkled in the dark backdrop of the night sky. The atmosphere was so peaceful and benevolent that Kurenai hoped it wouldn't end. Kazeshini allowed her to sit down to rest her feet. He set himself down, making sure he was a little ways away from her so as to not pressure her. The two smiled at each other. Kazeshini knew this was his chance and he moved himself closer to her, slowly.<p>

"Kurenai," he began slowly and gently, gaining her attention, "a-are you happy here with me?" he asked, taking her hands in his own. Kurenai looked at him before smiling.

"Yeah, I am." she said. Kazeshini felt his heart could float; this angel was happy to be with him.

'_**I told you so, your Highness.'**_ the demon said. He disregarded it in preparation to tell Kurenai, but when he looked at her, she was looking off in another direction. She seemed kind of sad. What had happened? She was smiling just a moment ago. Why had she become so sad all of a sudden?

"What is it?" he asked. She turned back to him. She looked like she was about to lie, but she sighed.

"I just wish I could see Renji again, just for a moment. I miss him so much." she said sadly.

'_**Why is she worrying about him so much?'**_ the demon asked.

'_She did say that he was her only family. It's only right that she worries.'_

'_**Well make her stop.'**_ it replied.

'_I can't ask that of her. It wouldn't be fair.' _He searched his head for an idea, something that would make her smile again, and then he came up with the perfect idea.

"If it means that much to you, there is a way." he said. Getting to his feet, he pulled her with him. The two returned to his room. With extreme care, he handed her his magic mirror. "This mirror will show you anything, anything you wish to see." he informed her. She looked at him and then peered into the mirror.

"I would like to see my brother, please." she said. A bright green light ensued; she turned away as to avoid being blinded. When she looked again, instead of her own reflection, she saw Renji in a desolate area of the woods. Wind was blowing by him as he tried to hobble along. He fell and Kenpachi tried to get him to his feet, but Renji could only cough harshly in response. "Renji," she cried. She knew that he would not be strong enough to pick himself up. "Oh no," she said under her breath. Kazeshini looked at her with concern. "He's sick… he could be… dying, and he's out there all alone. Kenpachi won't know what to do with him! How… Why?"

Kazeshini turned away from her and looked at his rose. He knew by the few petals that still hung that she would not have enough time to help him break his spell and care for her brother. It was then that he knew what he had to do. It would hurt him; it would hurt him so much, but he knew that it had to be done, for her. He closed his eyes. "Then… you must go to him." He bit back the pain those words caused in his heart; that would be his burden alone to bear.

"What did you say?" Kurenai whispered.

"I'm not making you a prisoner here any longer." he replied.

"You mean… I'm free?" she asked.

"Yes." he said sadly.

"Oh thank you." she said gratefully. She looked at the mirror and saw Renji once more. "Hold on Renji, I'm coming." As she was about to walk out the door, she realized that she still held his mirror, but when she tried to return it to him, he pushed it back to her with a shake of his head.

"Take it with you," he said gently, "so that you'll always have a way to look back… and remember me." As a motion of adoration he ran his fingers through her long hair, taking in the feel of it so that he could remember it for the rest of his days. He took in the beautiful hazel color of her eyes and the image of her face. She looked down at the mirror and then back up at him, smiling a grateful smile. He would certainly remember her smile and the gentleness of her voice when she spoke next.

"Thank you for understanding how much my brother needs me." As she turned to leave, she held his cheek with one gentle hand. He relished in it, but it was done within seconds as he watched her leave.

'_**What the HELL was that?' **_the demon asked. At the same time, Toshiro had passed by Kurenai with a grin on his face.

"I knew you had it in you." he said smugly.

"… I let her go." he answered, tending to both his inner demon's outrage and Toshiro's comment.

"Yes, well… what?" Toshiro responded unbelievingly. "H-how could you DO that?"

'_**My sentiments exactly!' **_the demon hollered.

"I had to." he answered sadly. His eyes didn't leave the rose.

"Yes, I know that, but… _why_?" Toshiro asked.

"Because… I love her." When he wouldn't say anymore, Toshiro took off down the hall.

'_**I don't get it. If you love her so much, why did you let her go?'**_

'_Somewhere beyond the depths of my sadness, I remember someone telling me 'if you love someone, let them go.' I never understood what that meant until now. Kurenai's brother needs her, and I won't let her be saddened by the idea of not being there for him.'_

* * *

><p>"He did WHAT?" the staff that had gathered asked. Toshiro hung his head.<p>

"I'm afraid it's true." he said disappointedly.

"She's going away?" Hanataro asked.

"But he was so close." Shunsui protested. Miss Unohana shook her head.

"After all this time, he's finally learned what it means to love." she said sadly.

"So why aren't we human again?" Shunsui asked. "I mean, shouldn't that have been able to break the spell?" Miss Unohana shook her head.

"It's not enough." she said. "She has to love him in return." In their sadness and despair, no one noticed Hanataro hop off to the door, which was exactly what the little teacup was hoping for. If no one else was interested in why Kurenai was leaving, then Hanataro would find out for himself. Maybe he could even convince her to come back. Maybe then everything would be okay; maybe then the grown-ups wouldn't be se sad.

"Now it's too late." Toshiro said in desolation. The servants who gathered all bowed their heads.

* * *

><p>Kazeshini watched her leave and then sent out a loud roar in order to frighten away any Hollows in the area. Watching her leave like that broke his heart.<p>

'_**You still have time to go after her.'**_ the demon insisted. He shook his head in the cool night air. _**'Are you seriously going to be a coward and remain here?'**_

'_It's her life.'_ he argued. _'I won't interfere in it any longer.'_

'_**But-'**_

'_No, Kazeshini!' _he replied in his head. _'I'm not going to force her to love me. You may not know it, but love does not work with force. I have to let her go… even if it makes me like this forever.'_

* * *

><p>Kurenai had been searching for what felt like hours, calling out for Renji as she rode along. All was quiet and calm tonight, which she feared. Suddenly she heard barking in the distance. She rushed to it and found Kenpachi huddled over Renji, who lay on the ground, unconscious. Kenpachi ran to her, but she dismounted the horse and ran to Renji. It was a bit of a struggle to get him on the horse and quite a long journey, but she did so without incident and without complaint. She failed to notice the small snowman right outside their door, one that was actually shaking from the cold.<p>

As soon as the siblings were both in the house, Rin, who had almost turned blue from the cold, emerged from the snow. "They're back." he said, and he rushed off to find Omaeda.

* * *

><p>Renji felt himself awaken in a warm place, with something damp and warm pressed to his forehead. A glimmer of scarlet caught his eyes and he forced his eyelids open. He didn't believe this reality as he found himself looking into the eyes of his younger sister once more. They were back in their house in the village.<p>

"I'm dreaming, aren't I?" he asked. Kurenai smiled and shook her head with a light chuckle.

"No Renji, it really is me. I'm home, nii-san." she said, once more pressing her washcloth to his face. She was stopped as he sat upright and pulled her tightly to his chest.

"I thought I'd never see you again." he breathed.

"I'm glad to see you, too, you big idiot." she said happily, holding her brother close to her. He pushed away, holding her at arm's length. She looked well, no body parts missing or anything like that.

"How did you escape the demon?" he asked, his tone turning serious.

"I didn't escape, Renji. He let me go." she said. A light line of red bloomed on her cheeks as she thought again about Kazeshini.

"That horrible demon?" he asked.

"He's not so horrible anymore, Renji. In fact," she looked down, "I think he's changed, for the better." She was about to say more when her bag toppled over. Out of it fell the mirror and a very dizzy Hanataro. When he came to, he smiled at them.

"Hi." he said, hopping up to Renji's chest.

"Oh," Kurenai said with a giggle, "a stowaway."

"Hey," Renji said, looking at the little teacup, "I didn't think I'd ever see you again, little guy." Hanataro smiled at him and then turned to Kurenai.

"Miss Kurenai, why'd you go away?" he asked. "Did you not like us anymore?"

Kurenai smiled at the teacup; at least now she would have a reason- if Renji would let her- to return to the castle. Kami knew that Miss Unohana would be incredibly worried about Hanataro, and part of her desperately wanted to see Kazeshini again. "Oh Hanataro, of course I do, but you see, I had to…" She was stopped when she heard knocking at the door. She wasn't expecting visitors at this hour, but she excused herself and went downstairs. Her puzzled look drifted from her face at the look of her visitor, but still, she knew she had to be somewhat polite.

"May I help you?" she asked gently.

"I've come to collect your brother." the visitor said.

Kurenai's brow furrowed in confusion. "My brother?" she asked incredulously.

"Don't worry, miss. We'll take good care of him."

Her eyes drifted from his dramatically painted face to the cart behind him that had 'Asylum for Loons' painted across the side. Kurenai glared at the asylum owner. "My brother is not crazy!" she protested.

"He was raving like a lunatic." Rin argued. "We all heard him." Several members of the crowd angrily cheered in agreement. Two men jumped from the carriage and pushed their way through the crowd to the house.

"No!" Kurenai protested. "I won't let you!" Unfortunately, she had been taking long at the door and piqued Renji's curiosity. When she moved away from the door, Renji peeked out.

"Kurenai?" he asked.

"Renji," Rin said as soon as he spotted the older Abarai sibling. "Tell us, just how big was this demon?"

"He… well, he was huge! Enormous, even. Maybe eight- no, ten feet high!" The crowd started laughing, much to his chagrin. Kurenai looked at Renji in dismay.

"Well, you don't get much crazier than that." Rin said, circling a finger around his temple. The entire crowd laughed with him. Renji stepped closer to them in his urgency, despite Kurenai's protests.

"I'm telling you, it's true." he said. Unfortunately, he didn't get to say more, as, much to the crowd's pleasure, Renji was grabbed by his arms. The two large men then started to lead him to the cart. "Let go of me!" he cried.

"No!" Kurenai cried, flying down the steps. She grabbed onto Kurotsuchi's arm. "You can't do this." she urged. Kurotsuchi scowled at her and pulled his arm away from her grasp.

"Poor Kurenai," Omaeda said, casually walking up and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Sorry to hear about your brother."

"You know he's not crazy, Omaeda." she suggested in desperation. He deliberated, pausing for effect.

"I might be able to clear up this misunderstanding… if," he began. Kurenai raised a brow at him.

"'If' what?" she asked, afraid to know what 'if' meant. At this point though, she would try anything to get Renji out of his predicament…

"If you marry me." he suggested.

Anything but that. Suddenly it hit her.

"_That's _what this is all about?" she asked. She nearly retched as Omaeda pulled her closer.

"One little word, Kurenai, is all it would take." he replied.

"Well here's my answer: Never!" she proclaimed, pushing him away.

"Have it your way." he said, moving away from her.

"Kurenai," Renji called. Kurotsuchi's men had nearly pulled him and were about to shove him into the wagon. "Let go of me!" he shouted. Kurenai then knew what she had to do. Turning back into the house she raced for the one object she believed would help her. Just as Kurotsuchi's men were about to throw Renji in, Kurenai came back out, holding Kazeshini's magic mirror.

"My brother's not crazy, and I can prove it!" she cried. She looked to the mirror. "Show me Kazeshini." As the mirror began to glow, she turned it to the crowd. The mirror showed Kazeshini roaring and crying out in his heartache. Most of the crowd was horrified at the sight of this thing. Even Omaeda showed a little fear at the sight of this thing.

"Is it dangerous?" one woman asked.

"Oh no," Kurenai said as she descended the stairs. "He may look a little scary, but he'd never really hurt anyone. Believe me, he's really kind and gentle." she looked affectionately at the mirror, remembering all the good times she had with him. "He's my friend." Omaeda sneered at the girl and the creature in the mirror in jealousy. Putting a hand on her shoulder he turned her around.

"If I didn't know any better, Kurenai, I'd say you had feelings for this monster." he snarled.

"He's not a monster, Omaeda," she said, pulling away from him, "but _you_ sure as hell are!" Omaeda grit his teeth at her and then looked to the crowd. He refused to be humiliated a second time by this girl. He grabbed her by the wrist. "She's as crazy as her brother!" he exclaimed. He snatched the mirror from her hand and then looked to the small children of the crowd. "This demon will make off with your children." he said. The children clung to their mothers in terror. "He'll come after them in the night!" he suggested.

"No!" Kurenai cried.

"We're not safe until his cold, cruel heart stops beating! I say down with the demon!" There was a loud roar from the crowd with agreement. Several gathered, talking about it.

"He'll stalk this village at night." a man said.

"How can we sacrifice our children?" a woman asked tearfully.

"We can't put the village at risk by letting him live!" another man said.

"It's time to take action, boys! Who's with me?" A large portion of the crowd cheered with him. "We're going to get this demon, and we're not coming home until he's dead! Down with the demon!"

"No! I won't let you do this!" Kurenai cried, attempting to grab at the mirror. Omaeda, finally having had enough of her, took her by the forearm.

"If you're not with us, you're against us!" he said. "Lock her in the basement with the kook! The mutt, too! We can't have them going off to warn the creature." Kurenai tried to struggle as he picked her up. Kenpachi growled at the villagers as they herded him into the cellar with pitchforks. He was followed by Renji and then Kurenai was tossed in. No sooner did she regain her footing then she was trying at the doors.

"Omaeda, let us out!" she cried. Unfortunately for her, he was standing on the doors.

Hanataro peeked through the windows and saw the mob gather. He watched the big fat guy gather the villagers and then they left. As soon as he thought it was safe, he scuttled down the stairs.

"I have to warn Kazeshini!" Kurenai said, trying to pry the doors open. After a few tries, she gave up and collapsed to her knees. "This is all my fault! Renji what will I do?" she asked tearfully.

"Hey," Renji said gently, holding her close. "We'll think of something." In fact, he was already looking around, trying to find something that would help them out. In the window he saw Hanataro's silhouette. When he looked closer, though, he saw the answer to their problems. Letting go of Kurenai, who watched with curiosity, he rushed over to the window. "Kid, hey kid!" he called through the window. Hanataro had been watching the exchange through the small window and had silently been wondering to himself what to do. He was just a mere teacup, and not a very brave one for that matter. When Renji called for him, he was startled, but turned back to look at the window.

"Y-yeah, mister?" he asked meekly.

"I need you to do something for me…"

* * *

><p>"I should've known better than to get my hopes up." Toshiro said angrily. After a while, the servants' grief had turned into anger at Kurenai for leaving their poor master- and them in heartache. He hadn't left his room since she left, and the servants surmised that he probably never would.<p>

"It would've been better if she had never come at all." Shunsui said, crossing his arms in his disappointment. The footstool, having heard something, ran over to the windows and began barking.

"Is it her?" Miss Unohana asked hopefully. Hanataro had disappeared around the time Kurenai had left and Miss Unohana had gotten frantic with worry. In her heart, she hoped that Kurenai had returned with him in tow, although she would have quite a few stern words to say to the teacup if that was the case.

Shunsui's eyes widened the moment he looked out the window. "Invaders!" he cried out. This drew the others' attention, and they rushed to the window in haste.

"And they have the mirror." Miss Unohana gasped. At this, Toshiro's gaze hardened. He looked over to Retsu.

"Warn the master." he said. She nodded and took off. "If it's a fight they want, then we'll give it to them! Are you with me?" He turned and became quickly annoyed that not only had they taken off, but they had also left him in the dark- again.

* * *

><p>"Take whatever loot you can find!" Omaeda shouted at Rin. "Just so long as it's clear that this demon is mine!" With that, the men began attacking the doors with a giant battering ram made from a tree that the villagers had chopped down. The loud slams echoed throughout the castle. The servants had gathered thanks to the efforts of Shunsui and Toshiro and had piled themselves against the door. Every blow from the massive battering ram rattled them.<p>

* * *

><p>"Pardon me, Master," Miss Unohana called into the shadows of her Master's room.<p>

"Leave me in peace, Unohana." the sad voice answered back. Kazeshini stood at the table, watching as another petal fell from the rose. Even he, however, couldn't ignore the mob's cries of 'kill the demon' and the loud knocking against the door.

"But sir," Miss Unohana protested, looking back down the hallway, "the castle is under attack!"

* * *

><p>Outside, the villagers were growing frantic with trying to get in, and the servants were growing frantic trying to protect their home, but it was getting harder and harder. The blows began to shake the castle.<p>

"Not working the way I had planned." Shunsui said, pushing with all the might a candelabra might have in support of his comrades.

"Any more _bright_ ideas, Kyoraku?" Toshiro asked edgily.

Shunsui was quiet in deliberation. If he had more time, he could have probably come up with something, but with these crazy people so frantic to get in, coming up with something was almost impossible.

"Come on, Shunsui, think!" he heard the feather-duster Nanao urge. Now to normal people, this would be a distraction, but for Shunsui, who had been in love with Nanao for quite some time, it was encouragement. Suddenly, he smiled.

"I have an idea." he said proudly. He looked to Toshiro, who had also stopped pushing against their comrades to look at him. "I'm gonna need your help on this one. Are you with me?" he asked. Toshiro looked at him questioningly, but then with a hard glare nodded.

* * *

><p>"What shall we do, Master?" Miss Unohana said, although her tone more or less asked 'What do <em>you<em> want to do?' Kazeshini didn't look back at her. He didn't need to; his decision had already been made the moment she was gone.

"It doesn't matter now." he said lowly. He raised his head and looked out the window to the dark and stormy sky. "I can't prevent the inevitable; just let them come."

'_**You're ready to die, Shuuhei? Just like that?' **_the demon asked in pure outrage.

'… _That has to be the first time you've called me by that name in over ten years.' _he remarked with a morose chuckle. Even on the outside, he slightly smiled, welcoming death at his door. _'Regardless, Kazeshini, I see no point in living without her…'_ he thought back.

* * *

><p>Omaeda had grown impatient and finally decided to help with the battering ram. With his surprising amount of strength, the battering ram managed at last to break through the doors of the castle. The villagers gave a loud cheer before it was stopped by their confusion. The grand hall was lined with furniture and various household objects.<p>

"Spread out!" Omaeda barked. "If the servants are hiding behind the furniture, then take them prisoner!" The company of villagers nodded and did as they were told. Rin had no idea that when he picked up the gold candelabra that it would shout 'now' at the top of its lungs like that. Much to the villagers' surprise, the room lit up and the furniture ambushed them. The coat rack managed to hit a man multiple times in the face before he went down; another man was attacked by a set of mops. One of Omaeda's cronies was double teamed by a twin set of drawers, who rendered his axe useless by socking their top drawers simultaneously to his face. One man was even eaten by a large trunk, which let out a large belch after swallowing the man. Omaeda seemed to have luck on his side as he dodged the enchanted objects and headed up the stairs unnoticed.

* * *

><p>Hanataro knew he had to be careful with this strange device of Renji's. One false step and he would be shattered. With Renji's helpful advice, though, he had been able to get it upright in the wagon without incident. Now came the hard part. Using resources at hand, he turned it to the doors of the cellar.<p>

"Good," Renji said as he watched from the window, "now if that kid can just aim at the lock, the laser should do away with it no problem. We'll be outta here in minutes!"

The teacup leapt for the laser, latching onto it with his teeth. With all of his might, he pulled downward. It took a second for the laser to get fired up, but Hanataro didn't know that.

'Hm,' he thought to himself, 'now that I think about it, it _is_ kinda hard for a laser to collect light at nighttime. Maybe if I pull it down to the next setting, it'll start working.' So the little teacup did just that.

"No!" Renji cried from the window, pressing his hands against the glass.

"What is it?" Kurenai asked.

"The kid pulled the lever down to the next level. It's not meant to go to the next level!"

"What will happen if it does?" Kurenai asked.

"Truth be told…" Renji said, scratching the back of his head with a blush, "I dunno. I never really tested all of the levels."

"You idiot!" Kurenai cried out. The blow she gave him ended up giving him a rather nice-sized lump on the head.

"Ow!" he shouted. He had no time to argue, though, for Kenpachi had started barking. "Get down!" he shouted. All at once, a giant laser attacked the cellar doors, reducing them to nothing but splinters. Just as soon as it had appeared, it died out. The siblings were still for a moment before leaving the cellar. Hanataro looked at the strange machine.

"It just died out, I swear." Hanataro said.

"Darn this stupid piece of junk…" Renji murmured, hitting it. Kurenai rushed for Mercury and climbed on.

"Come on!" she said. "We don't have any time to lose." Renji nodded and let Hanataro jump into his hand. Soon, they were following Kenpachi, who was following the scent of the villagers. She looked to the sky with hope. 'Please,' she prayed silently, 'please don't let me be too late.'

* * *

><p>Back at the castle, the great hall filled with men's shouts as the servants fought back with a vengeance. Tomatoes were launched at men's faces, and then from above, Miss Unohana and her legion of teacups dumped hot water and tea onto the men. From the balcony, Rangiku watched with a smile, waiting for one poor sucker to get right in position. When she got her wish, she jumped over the edge and landed on one of the men.<p>

"My hero." she said with a wry smile, picking herself up off of the large crack in the floor.

* * *

><p>Omaeda grew impatient as he opened another door to find the room he had entered empty- seriously, how many rooms were there in this place? This demon was either really clever or really cowardly. He looked on and saw another room. He walked on, chained mace in hand.<p>

* * *

><p>Rangiku had gotten in a bit of a tussle with one of Omaeda's men as he swung his axe at her. Smiling, she let two little hair combs fly out of her doors and drag him inside her. He struggled within that space, but she held as still as possible. Finally, she let him out and the man was completely horrified to find himself dressed as a woman, to which the wardrobe laughed heartily.<p>

Shunsui, unfortunately, had found himself cornered by Rin, who held a burning torch to the poor candelabra's waxy face. "L-Let's be reasonable about this, now." he said uneasily. Already, he could feel the wax that made up his head melting away down his face. Toshiro, who had happened upon this scene, smiled at the chance to save Shunsui. With a pair of scissors in hand, he slid down the staircase with the blades before him. Rin screamed at the sharp points jabbing him in the behind and relented with his efforts to melt Shunsui. The candelabra, however, had no time to be grateful as he noticed that Nanao was being chased by another of Omaeda's goons. She would have very nearly gotten away had she not tripped. The man harshly picked her up and was about to rip out all of her feathers when Shunsui rushed in and, using a little bit of pressure, caused the flame of his head to roast the man's behind. The man promptly dropped Nanao in defense of his behind. She blushed as Shunsui offered a hand to help her to her feet.

The poor footstool, who had made off with one of Rin's shoes, was chased into the kitchen had barely been missed my knives and a cleaver. The men entered the kitchen to find the little 'dog' cornered amongst the cabinets; regardless of whether or not it was cornered, the dog stood its ground, growling at the intruders. The men laughed at the brave attempt.

"Come barging into _my_ kitchen, eh?" came a voice from nowhere. "Well maybe _this'll _show you!" Suddenly a drawer full of knives opened; the blades gleamed eerily in the light. The stove lit up, revealing a terrifying face lit up by the flames. The men, terrified out of their minds, raced out of the kitchen, leaving Tessai to smirk at them.

Finally, the villagers who could get away had had enough and ran away from this 'haunted' place. Those who couldn't run crawled, much to the amusement of the servants. Many of them cheered at the victory. Toshiro watched the cowards leave.

"And stay out!" he called. Suddenly, he was clapped on the back and very nearly knocked over by a laughing Shunsui. He got up and glared at the candelabra.

"And here I thought you were boring, Toshiro." he said. Toshiro's glare only deepened, much to Shunsui's amusement.

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><p>There you go, my readers, One more chapter to go, so hang in there. I'll update soon, promise. Until then, I bid you <em>adieu.<em>


	8. Chapter 8: Death and Transformation

Okay my readers, as an Easter present, here is the last chapter.

**Disclaimer: I own only Kurenai. 'Beauty and the Beast' belongs to Disney and Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo.**

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><p>Omaeda finally found the demon's layer, but when he opened the door, it appeared the creature- which was much more horrifying in real life than it was in the reflective surface of the mirror, which he had lost- hadn't noticed him. Kazeshini merely looked out at the stormy night sky. It would all soon be over now, he knew; Kurenai was gone and he was going to die tonight. Suddenly, in his cold, broken heart, he wished that he could see her again, hear her laugh, run his fingers through her beautiful hair. It didn't matter to him if the spell was taken off now. He would endure the spell once more- hell, a thousand times more- just to spend one day with her. He wouldn't even mind looking like this, either. He barely looked at the intruder at the door, just enough to say to the guy 'get it over with.'<p>

With one, confident throw, Omaeda struck true, right in Kazeshini's bitten shoulder. That hadn't healed all the way, yet, and when he felt the spikes of the weapon against the wounds, he cried out in pain. Instinct kicked in and he made to reach for the twin scythes resting against the window in front of him, but suddenly his assailant tackled him out the window. Omaeda laughed menacingly as Kazeshini rolled out onto the balcony, clutching his shoulder. The demon struggled to stand as his attacker walked out onto the balcony. With a cruel kick, Omaeda sent Kazeshini over the edge of the balcony, tumbling to a landing below. He followed with a confident jump.

'_**Get up! Get up now, dammit!' **_the demon hollered. _**'Don't you get it? If you don't get up now, you're going to die!'**_

'_I can't…' _he answered. Suddenly he cried out as Omaeda gave him another rough kick to the side.

"Get up!" Omaeda ordered. All he received in return from the creature was a pained groan. "Are you deaf? I said get up, you stupid brute! What's the matter? Too kind and gentle to fight back?" he said with a mocking sneer. Kazeshini turned away from him.

'_**Come on,'**_ the demon urged desperately, _**'if you were at your full strength, you could take this overweight coward on one-handed!'**_

Omaeda, who had gotten tired of waiting for a response, noted that the twin scythes had landed a few feet away. They must've fallen when he pushed Kazeshini through the window. Smirking, he stepped over to them and picked them up. The fallen demon looked up at the sound of clinking chains and saw the menacing sight of his attacker holding his own weapon in attack against him, poised for the kill.

'_This… this must be the end, then…' _he thought silently. _'Let it be done quickly.' _He closed his eyes.

"No!" rang a voice clear through the thunder and lightning.

Kazeshini's eyes opened once more, and frantically they searched for the source of the voice. Sure enough, he saw the flash of scarlet, even in the dark of the night. It was Kurenai, with Renji and Kenpachi flanking her at the end of the bridge. "K-Kurenai," he said weakly.

'_**What was she waiting for? An engraved invitation?' **_

"No, Omaeda, don't…!" she cried. It was at this moment that the giant man decided to attack. Somewhere within him Kazeshini found the strength to stand and catch the blades by the handles. Omaeda trembled in fear for a moment.

'I don't get it…' Omaeda thought, 'just a second ago he couldn't even stand… What's _with _thisguy?'

"I believe you have something that belongs to me." Kazeshini said.

* * *

><p>Relief filled Kurenai's heart as she saw that her 'demon' was still alive. Part of her wondered why he hadn't fought back until just now, but she hadn't the time to dwell on it. "Let's go, Mercury." she said. The horse raced towards the castle and gave the large doors a powerful kick, forcing them open.<p>

* * *

><p>Up above, Kazeshini had wrestled back control of his weapons, but only held them in defense at the moment. Omaeda launched the spiked ball at the demon, but it proved completely useless against Kazeshini's twin blades.<p>

'_**This is getting old.' **_the demon said, and he had to agree. As Omaeda threw his weapon again, Kazeshini caught it by the chain and in one swift motion, severed it. The man looked at the monster incredulously as it tossed his weapon over the edge, into the ravine. His glare deepened at the creature and then he noticed a loose spire in the lattices of the balcony that they were on. It would have to do, he decided, if he wanted to defend himself. Kazeshini launched himself at the man, deciding that it was time for a little payback. Omaeda toppled over the edge, to another landing. Kazeshini followed closely.

Where they had landed was a garden of statues, each one neatly lining the landing. Thunder and lightning flashed all around them, but Kazeshini used the shadows in between to his advantage and disappeared. Omaeda looked around and then found Kazeshini's silhouette. With one fell swoop he took the creature's head clean off, or so he thought. The lightning revealed it to be a statue, much to Omaeda's disappointment.

"Come on out and fight!" he called out to the landing. There was no answer, and he decided to walk down the landing. "Were you in love with her, demon?" he asked aloud. "Did you honestly think she'd want _you _when she had someone like _me_?"

Had Omaeda been watching his back, he would have noticed the shadows behind him moving. Luckily for the man, he was able to sense the monster at the last second as it lashed out at him. He blocked just in time and forced the creature back.

"Face it, ugly, it's over. Kurenai is mine!" he said.

'_**Well it seems like this guy is arrogant **__**and**__** delusional.'**_ the demon said smugly.

'_How dare he come into my castle, my home, trying to destroy me and then say that he has some sort of moronic claim on Kurenai?'_ he thought_. _It had proven to be more than he could stand. With an inordinate amount of strength, he leapt at the man, catching him off guard by seizing him around the throat and held him in midair, over the ravine. Omaeda trembled when he realized he was merely dangling over death.

"Let me go!" he cried, much to the demon's surprise.

'_**What happened to Mr. Tough-Guy that was standing here just a second ago?'**_

'_I guess this one is all bark…'_

"Please, don't hurt me," the man pleaded. "I'll do anything! Anything!" With that pleading, Kazeshini began to pull him back.

_**'**__**Why**__** are we agreeing to this?'**_

_'He's just a coward. I doubt that Kurenai would want me to kill him, even in my own defense. Besides that, he's really not worth it.'_

_**'I guess not, but we can still make sure this never happens again with a little intimidation.'**_

_'That is true enough.' _With that agreement, he glared at the cowering man before pulling him to safety. To make sure that he proved a point, he pulled the man so that they were face to face, this way, he could be sure his message got across.

"Get out." he said simply. Not even able to look at this coward, he threw the man down and turned to walk away.

Kurenai, who had traveled all the way up to his balcony, looked out over the edge. "Kazeshini!" she called. The mentioned so-called 'monster' turned towards the voice, his heart beating a million miles an hour. It was like magic how much his world lit up when he saw her again. She was here; she really had come back to him.

"Kurenai," he said in exaltation. At this point, his heart gravitated him towards the woman he loved so dearly. Ignoring the man who had just tried to kill him and his wounds, he began his ascent to her. When at last he reached the balcony, the two were face to face, both of them smiling and relieved. Kazeshini's hand found hers, soft, warm and welcoming against his, which was slick with the rain. For once, in over ten years, he was happy; a warm feeling like sunshine after the night filled his heart and he moved his hand to caress her cheek. "I don't believe it…" he breathed, "you came back…" Kurenai, smiling warmly, leaned into the embrace.

Their reunion, however, was cut short when a loud thud was heard and then Kazeshini cried out in pain. Omaeda, not wanting to be humiliated again, had silently climbed up after his prey. With a knife he kept in the fold of his robes, he had stabbed the demon right in the back. In his pain, Kazeshini thrashed reflexively. Omaeda, thinking he was very clever, moved out of the way. Unfortunately, he leaned too far and lost his balance. With a loud scream, he fell into the ravine below and was never seen again. Kazeshini nearly lost his balance as well, were it not for Kurenai wrapping her arms around him and pulling him back onto the balcony.

Gently, Kurenai lay him down on the ground, holding his head in her hand so as to look at him. Toshiro, Miss Unohana, and Shunsui came in and were shocked to see the girl with their dying master. He felt so weak, but at least she was here now. He opened his eyes and looked upon her.

"Y-you… came back," he wheezed.

"Of course I came back." Kurenai answered, slightly undignified. "I couldn't just let them…" Her eyes drifted to the ground and then she pulled him close. "I'm so sorry, Kazeshini; this is all my fault. If only I had gotten here sooner…"

He shook his head and looked to the darkened sky. "Maybe it's better this way, Kurenai…" he said.

"Shut up!" she cried. She was fighting to hold her own tears back; she had to be optimistic. He _wouldn't_ die; he couldn't… "Don't talk like that. We'll get you help; as long as we're together, we can get through anything."

Kazeshini's face became gentle and with the last of his strength, he lifted his hand to caress her cheek. He gave himself one last chance to feel her warmth. Kurenai leaned into it, holding it against her.

"At least… I got to see you… one last time." he breathed. Kurenai's eyes held uncertainty within them, but as calmly as she could, she touched the very tip of her fingers to his lips, preventing him from saying anymore. She wasn't sure she could take it if he said anything like that. She pulled him close, so that their foreheads touched.

_We are home_, she sang gently, fighting to keep her voice strong.  
><em>We are where<br>__We shall be forever.  
><em>_Trust in me,  
>For you know<br>I won't run away  
>From today. This is all that I need,<br>and all that I need to say:_

Kazeshini was fading, she could tell just from his eyes. Limply, his hand fell to his side; Kurenai caught it just in time, grasping it for dear life. Desperately, she searched for any sign of consciousness, her hazel eyes brimming with burning tears.

_Don't you know how you've changed me?  
>Strange how I finally see...<br>I've found home, you're my home.  
>Stay with me...<em>

His eyes closed, unfortunately for her breaking heart, and he exhaled one last time before his head slumped to the side. Kurenai then felt the tears overflow. She shook her head and tried, futilely, shake him awake.

"Oh no, no please, please, Kazeshini don't leave me! Please," she begged with a sob. "I love you."

Toshiro, Shunsui and Miss Unohana watched as the last black petal fell, joining the others at the bottom of the glass. It was their confirmation of their fate. Shunsui hung his head and Toshiro tried to comfort Miss Unohana, who had a tear running down her porcelain cheek.

Kurenai continued to sob as he lay there, dead. Thunder rolled overhead, but what Kurenai and the others failed to notice was that now instead of the rain falling, there were beams of light that fell over Kazeshini's body.

* * *

><p>Somewhere in his consciousness, a long lost prince stirred. His first thoughts were that of the person he had seen before his eyes closed again, a crying girl with long, scarlet hair. Then a large flash ensued behind his eyes.<p>

_'What was that?' he asked._

_**'Memories that you witnessed through my eyes… they are returning to you.'**_ a very familiar voice said. He looked straight ahead and saw the demon who had for so long overtaken his body. _**'They are yours after all.'**_

_'Am I…?' _Suddenly he remembered the girl- the girl who had brought him hope and happiness. _'Kurenai! I can't leave her yet, not until I've told her…'_

_**'Relax your Highness.' **_the demon said. _**'You're not leaving her.'**_

_'You mean… we're still alive?'_

_**'Correction: **__**you're**_ _**still alive.'**_

_'What?'_

_**'That was part of the old hag's rule: when you break the spell, I die with it.'**_

_'So… the spell is…'_

_**'Yes, yes, your little 'hell' is over. Yippy for you.'**_

_'If you're so angry with me then why are you talking to me?'_

_**'I'm talking to you because I just wanted to warn you. You worked really hard to get this girl to fall in love with you. If you mess this up in anyway- I don't even care if you say the wrong thing to her- if you hurt her, I will force myself back into existence and beat the living hell outta you! Is that clear?'**_

He chuckled. _'Who knew you actually cared?'_

_**'Don't mess this up, your Highness.' **_the demon stated. He knew that that was its way of saying goodbye as little by little it faded until there was no more.

_'Thank you, Kazeshini.'_ he said gratefully.

* * *

><p>Kurenai was genuinely surprised as she looked up and found all of these rays of light descending onto his body. All of a sudden, he was lifted into the air by some unseen force. Kurenai moved away, watching in pure amazement. Rays of light extended from his hands until they then looked like regular human hands. His feet underwent the same magic, looking like a regular man's feet. The brightest flash of all, though, came when his body itself transformed. Kurenai had to turn away to keep from being blinded. He was lowered gently onto the ground, dressed now in white as compared to Kazeshini's usual gray. Kurenai moved toward him, to see if this had merely been a dream, but when she reached for him, he moved, pushing himself up.<p>

He didn't face her at first, so all she could really see was his lithe frame and a head of spiky black hair. He was tall, she discovered, as he pushed himself to his feet. He seemed to be looking at himself, making sure of something before he turned to her finally. Kurenai's eyes met with that of a very handsome young man, one with sharp, dark-gray eyes that bored right back into hers. Just over his right eye, he had three distinct markings, markings that looked familiar to her. Either than that, he seemed almost… normal. Kurenai narrowed her eyes at this stranger, although he didn't really seem that strange to her, like she had somehow met him in a dream.

"Kurenai," he said, his voice soft yet deep and insistent. He took a hold of her hands. "Kurenai, it's me." he said. She narrowed her eyes in scrutiny, looking this stranger up and down. Cautiously, she moved aside a lock of hair that blocked her view of his face. She remembered then those three scars that Kazeshini had received from the Hollows when she ran away. She smiled in recognition.

"It _is _you!" she rejoiced, hugging him. He chuckled and lifted her chin to look into her eyes.

"Kurenai, there's something I have to tell you," he said gently, searching her eyes. She waited. "It's… my name. Kazeshini is the demon who was inside of me. This… spell gave me his appearance and his control over my body." Kurenai's brow furrowed for a moment and she looked into his eyes.

"Then what _is_ your name?" she asked.

"It's Shuuhei Hisagi." he answered.

"Shuuhei… Hisagi…" she echoed with a smile. "It's a beautiful name." she said with a laugh. He laughed with her and pulled her close, holding her against his chest. He pulled away however and very gently caressed her cheek, his fingers trailing off into her hair. He leaned down and very gently pulled her lips to his. All around them, it was like fireworks had gone off, which indeed had happened. The magic that drifted down from them transformed the castle into the glorious place it had once been. The horrific statues that once took up the garden and the halls were transformed from those of demons into those of angels, and the castle lit up once more. It even seemed that the dark clouds had gone away, officially washing away the drear of the past decade.

The couple was joined by Shunsui, Toshiro, and Miss Unohana, all three of whom had also transformed back into their original selves. Shunsui went from a candelabra to a tall, tanned man with long, shaggy brown hair and dark, playful eyes. Over his traditional servant's robes, he wore a pink jacket. He bowed politely to Kurenai. "Shunsui," Shuuhei addressed gently. Toshiro also transformed from the little clock Kurenai knew into a handsome, white-haired youth, barely taller than Kurenai, with big turquoise eyes and tanned skin. "Toshiro," he said happily. Miss Unohana transformed from her teapot form into a beautiful, graceful woman with kind blue eyes and a long plait of black hair that wound around her neck and dangled in front of her. "Miss Unohana! Look at us!" he cried.

"Miss Unohana! Miss Unohana!" said Hanataro's voice. The mentioned woman looked and saw little Hanataro ride in on the footstool. With a whir of magic, the footstool became a shaggy white and brown dog and the little teacup became a small boy with dark, chin-length hair. Miss Unohana laughed with joy as she bent down to sweep the little boy into her arms and hug him tight. "Oh my goodness," she said softly, still laughing.

"It's a miracle!" Shunsui said joyously. Shuuhei laughed and picked his love up off her feet, sweeping her around. Kurenai giggled, holding her prince close to her.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, the castle was bustling with people again. People from lands far and wide had come to greet the long lost prince and welcome his new princess. Everyone was thrilled to see them dance, some even admitting that they had never seen anything so romantic as the two of them dancing before. With a smile, Shuuhei bent down to kiss Kurenai, who bashfully returned it. The two shared a loving exchange of smiles before he once again took the lead. Shunsui and the other servants watched with pride in their master.<p>

"Ah, young love." he said as the two whirled past him. He looked over and saw Nanao, who gave him a smile. He returned the smile and was about to go over and make his move when he was stopped by Toshiro. The younger male had his head lowered and sighed before he looked at his comrade.

"I usually won't ever admit this but… you were right." he said. He held his hand out, much to Shunsui's confusion. "Can you forgive my stubbornness?" he asked. Shunsui smiled after a second and shook Toshiro's hand jovially.

"Of course, my friend." he replied. A vein of anger appeared on Toshiro's forehead after Shunsui didn't say anything else. He was expecting the older man to say something along the lines of 'no, you were right, Toshiro, please forgive me.' This started a rather one-sided argument that Shunsui walked out of to be with Nanao. Toshiro groaned. From across the room, Miss Unohana shook her head.

"Some things never change." she said to Renji, who stood next to her. He laughed and nodded in agreement. She tried not to cry as she looked at her young charge and her dear daughter-figure dancing. Crying would mean that she would have to let Hanataro, to whom she held on tightly, down. Renji, too, watched with pride for his sister. He had been invited to live with them in the castle and had even set up a workshop for him. Kenpachi, too, was happy; the black dog had found a companion in the brown and white dog that had been the footstool, and they chased birds and napped to their hearts' content together. He had recognized that Kurenai no longer needed protection, and now saw to it that little Hanataro stayed out of trouble, much to Miss Unohana's delight and gratitude.

"Are they gonna live happily ever after, Miss Unohana?" the little boy asked, gaining both Miss Unohana and Renji's attention. She smiled at him.

"Indeed they are, my dear." she said gently, giving him a tight hug. "Yes, indeed they are." She watched for a moment for and then looked over at Hanataro again. She then noticed that the little boy was looking at the floor. "Hanataro, what's wrong?" she asked. Renji leaned in, too.

"Does this mean I still have to sleep in the cupboard?" he asked.

This, in turn, caused both Miss Unohana and Renji to laugh, and she hugged the child once more and then proceeded to watch the couple of honor dance as the sunset beyond the horizon, humming her special song for them.

_Certain as the sun,_

_ Rising in the east,_

_ Tale as old as time,_

_ Song as old as rhyme,_

_ Beauty and the Beast…_

_ Tale as old as time,_

_ Song as old as rhyme…_

_ Beauty and the Beast…_

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><p>There you go, my dear readers. I really do hope you enjoyed my little story. I'm not sure whether or not I will attempt another fairytale, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see. With that being said, when it comes to this story, I bid you, my awesome, awesome readers, a final <em>adieu<em>.


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